
HE • FRONT 




DONALD A. MACK 




l!,l,.k _.M_'5?r€ 



1'Uesi;nti;i) dy 




IIKLD-.MARSIIAL SIR DOUGLAS HAIG 
Commander-in-Chief ol the British .\rniy in France and Flanders. 



FROM 
ALL THE FRONTS 



DONALD A. MACKENZIE 

Author of " Heroes and Heroic Deeds of the Great War" 

"Lord Kitchener" "Wonder Tales from 

Scottish Myth and Legend" &c. 



FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 
443-449 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 



^^> 



Gift 






? CONTENTS 



CiENERAL SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON - - I 

FIELD-MARSHAL SIR DOUGLAS HAIG - - I7 

GENERAL FOCH 33 

GENERAL PETAIN 39 

HEROES OF EMPIRE 4S 

THE MACEDONIAN HKROINM.S ... 58 

THE LADY OF LOOS ----- 66 

A GREAT MODERN BATTLE - - - - 77 

THE BOY WHO FILLED THE WATER-BOTTLES 89 

TANKS IN ACTION 94 

"bogie" RAIDS ON WINTER NIGHTS - - IO3 

A FRENCH boy's SEARCH FOR HIDDEN 

JEWELS Ill 

ADMIRAL SIR DAVID BEATTY - - - I30 

A FAMOUS DESTROYER BATTLE - - - I50 

girl's FLIGHT IN AN AEROPLANE - - 165 

WILD LIFE IN THE TRENCHES - - - iSl 

DOGS IN WARFARE I93 



LIST OF PLATES 



Page 
•^Field-Marshal Sir Douolas Haig - - Frontispiece 

"General Sir William Robertson 8 

"'General Foch 33 

'General P^tain - • • -40 

"Scottish Women's Hospitals' Motor Ambulances in 

Macedonia 57 

"Mlle Emilie;nne Moreau, "The Lady of Loos" - - 72 

■''A British "Tank" on the Western Front in France 89 

Gordon Highlanders in a "Bogie" Raid - - - 104 

"Admiral Sir David Beatty 136 

"The Boarding of the "Broke" in the Channel 

Fight 153 

' In the Trenches at Gallipoli .... - 189 

A Dog Team in the Vosges Mountains ... 196 



FROM ALL THE FRONTS • 



GENERAL SIR WILLIAM 
ROBERTSON 

Chief of the Imperial General Staff 

Sir William Robertson, Chief of the Imperial 
General Staff, was scarcely known to the general 
public at the outbreak of war, but in the army he 
had long been regarded as an officer of great 
ability and strong force of character, and admired 
as one who had raised himself from the rank of 
a private soldier by sheer hard work, marked 
ability, and close attention to duty. 

He was born in i860, in the Lincolnshire village 
of Welbourne. On his father's side he is of Scottish 
extraction and on his mother's of English. At 
school he was known as an industrious and pains- 
taking pupil, who seemed determined to get on. 
Some thought he was likely to become an artist, 
so fond was he of sketching landscapes and draw- 
ing maps in his spare time. 



2 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

His teachers were greatly interested in him, 
and he was popular among the pupils because 
he was a manly boy of bright and cheery dispo- 
sition. At home he was greatly influenced by his 
mother, who was a woman of high principle and 
warm heart, and by his father, who had a strong 
sense of duty and an independent spirit. Both his 
parents encouraged him to pursue his studies, and 
by precept and example taught him to take a 
serious view of life. While yet quite a boy, Sir 
William came to realize that success in life de- 
pended mainly upon his own efforts. 

He came early under the influence of the local 
rector, Canon Melville, who took a kindly interest 
in his education. He found the boy studying 
shorthand on his own account, in addition to doing 
his ordinary school work, and made arrangements 
to give him lessons in French, much to young 
Robertson's delight. " He was not only anxious 
but determined to learn," says one who knew him 
at this time; "indeed, he was quite a glutton for 
knowledge." 

At fourteen he had to leave school, his parents 
not being able to afford the expense of a higher 
education for him. But he did not cease to study 
after he began work in his first situation. He 
was a great reader, and became specially interested 
in military history, and in time he resolved to be- 
come a soldier. He, however, kept his secret to 
himself, and it was a great surprise to his parents 
when they learned that he had enlisted in the 



SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON 3 

1 6th Lancers at Aldershot. He was only seven- 
teen at the time, but being a tall, well-built youth, 
he passed for a recruit of military age. 

His father and mother were much distressed 
at first, fearing the temptations of army life, and 
wanted to purchase his discharge, but Canon 
Melville, who had great confidence in the lad, 
persuaded them that it was best to allow him to 
follow the career he had chosen for himself " I 
am sure he will do well," he said; "a clever lad 
of good character like William is certain to get 
on in the army." The rector proved to be right. 
Robertson rose to the rank of lance-corporal in 
about twelve months. 

"What did I tell you.-^" smiled the rector, when 
the young soldier's father informed him of this. 
"The lad is determined to rise." 

At the regimental school, Robertson proved 
himself an apt and hard-working pupil. In a few- 
months he took his second-class certificate, which 
entitled him to promotion to the rank of sergeant. 
But he was not satisfied with this success, and 
continued his studies so as to qualify for a first- 
class certificate, the possession of which would 
enable him to rise to the rank of a junior officer. 
It was quite evident that the young soldier had 
great ambitions. 

In the ordinary work of soldiering Robertson 
took a keen interest. He mastered every detail, 
and paid strict attention to duty. Being of splen- 
did physique, he became an excellent athlete, and 



4 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

acquitted himself with great credit at regimental 
sports, especially as a long-distance runner. 

In time he rose from the rank of sergeant to 
that of sergeant-major. In his new post he 
showed ability to manage and control. He was 
a strict disciplinarian. In fact, there was never 
a more thorough and capable sergeant-major in 
the Dragoons. Yet, notwithstanding all the claims 
upon his time, he still continued to study hard so 
as to prepare himself for further promotion. 

After ten years' service he applied for a com- 
mission. At the time, he was stationed in Dublin, 
and it was at the Royal Barracks there that he 
went through an examination in practical work. 
So well did he acquit himself in drilling and com- 
manding a force of cavalry that he passed with 
distinction. He was then sent to the Hythe 
School of Musketry, where he met, among other 
students. Lord Derby, who was to become Secre- 
tary of State for War in succession to Lord 
Kitchener, with Robertson occupying the post of 
Chief of the Imperial General Staff. But that is 
to look far ahead. At Hythe Robertson proved 
to be one of the most distino;^uished students of 
his term, and having passed the various tests, 
qualified to become an officer, and in due course 
received his commission. 

His parents in their home in Welbourne had 
long ceased to doubt that their son had acted 
wisely in choosing to follow a career in the army, 
and were exceedingly proud of the high distinction 



SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON 5 

he had won at a time when promotion from the 
ranks was uncommon. Their pride was shared 
by the rector, who never failed to refer to Lieu- 
tenant Robertson as an example to the pupils at 
the village school. He welcomed the young officer 
with enthusiasm and warm friendship when he 
returned to his native place to bid farewell to his 
parents before leaving for India, where he was to 
join the 3rd Dragoon Guards. The furlough was 
all too brief When he kissed his mother fare- 
well he little thought that he would never see her 
again. She died when her son, several years 
later, was on his way home with the rank of 
captain to take up an important post at the War 
Office. 

The story of Sir William Robertson's career is 
not packed with thrilling incidents, but it is not 
the less inspiring. It is the record of a serious- 
minded and resolute man, who was not only a 
man of action, but also a devoted student striving 
to extend his knowledge, and never missing an 
opportunity to increase his efficiency. In a speech 
which he made at Bradfield College in Novem- 
ber, 19 1 6, he revealed the secret of his own 
success when he said with regard to the o-reat 
war: — 

"We are now passing through a time of some stress, not 
very great stress yet. We must expect that it will be much 
greater in the future. We must remember that success in war, 
as in nearly everything else, invariably goes to those who show 
the greatest determination and who can best set their teeth. 
That is a remark that applies not merely to the soldier and the 



6 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

sailor, but to the people at home, from the highest to the 
lowest. . . . We may look forward to the future with complete 
confidence, subject to the condition that we do the right thing 
and do it in time." 

Sir William has ever striven to do the right 
thing at the right time. Soon after he went to 
India in 1888 he was sent to Rawal Pindi to take 
charge of a great military grass farm which sup- 
plied fodder for army horses. There he came 
into touch with native workers who spoke various 
languages and dialects, and he set himself to 
studying these. First he acquired a knowledge 
of Punjabi, the Aryan language of the Punjab, 
and Pushtu, the language of the Pathans. After 
a time, when engaged on other duties, he not 
only perfected his knowledge of these languages, 
but also learned to speak Hindustani, Gurkhali, 
the Gurkha language, and Persian. His know- 
ledge of the native languages was of great value 
to the military authorities, and in 1892 he was 
sent to Simla, the mountain capital of India, 
situated 7084 feet above sea-level, on a spur of 
the Central Himalayas. Simla, besides being 
the summer head-quarters of the Indian Govern- 
ment, is a trading centre and an important 
military post. In his interesting book, A Soldiers 
Memories, Major - General Sir George Young- 
husband writes: — 

" Working in the office of the Intelligence Branch at Simla 
I first met Sir William Robertson. ... An extraordinarily 
hard-working and zealous officer, he struck one then, but never 



SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON 7 

in the wildest imaginings of anyone, certainly not in Sir William's 
own modest dreams, did we see before us the great brain that 
was to direct a European war. . . . 

" For many years I never heard of him or saw him, but one 
day I picked up an official magazine and therein read his 
opening or closing address to the students at the Staff College. 
It was one of the finest pieces of instructional oratory that has 
ever been delivered. That stamped the man. One who could 
educate himself up to delivering a lecture like that before un- 
doubtedly the most critical military audience in England, must 
be a great man." 

At Simla Robertson continued his studies, and 
became so familiar with native habits of life and 
thought that he qualified as an Intelligence Officer. 
It will be remembered that Kitchener acted in a 
similar capacity in the Sudan during the period 
that Khartoum was besieged by the Mahdi's 
forces, for having learned to speak Arabic quite 
fluently, he was able to move about among the 
people disguised as a sheikh, Robertson had to 
conduct his investigations sometimes in the moun- 
tainous districts of the Indian frontier, and, like 
Kitchener, employed natives to secure informa- 
tion for him. 

Meanwhile he continued his studies of Indian 
languages and dialects until he had acquired a 
knowledge of about ten in all. It is told that when 
he was being examined in Mahratti, a very diffi- 
cult language, his examiner exclaimed with a smile, 
"You know more about it than I do." 

Trouble had broken out in 1892 in the province 
of Chitral, which is situated at the north-east 



8 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

corner of Afghanistan, and borders Turkestan, 
where it is flanked by the great Hindu Kush 
mountain range. It was important to the miH- 
tary authorities of India that peace should prevail 
in this wild country, the inhabitants of which had 
been prone to make warlike expeditions into 
northern India. The ruler of Chitral received 
an annual subsidy from the Government of India 
for keeping the peace. Revolts broke out, how- 
ever, in consequence of deadly feuds between 
members of the ruling family. So serious did 
these become, that a small military expedition 
had to be sent to Chitral in January, 1895, ^^ 
settle a dispute regarding the succession to the 
throne. For a time it seemed as if a peaceful 
settlement would be brought about, but in March 
one of the claimants to the throne, having gathered 
a considerable force, attacked the British expedi- 
tion and laid siege to Chitral fort, in which there 
was a Sikh force with several British officers, 
including Captain Townshend, he who later on, 
as Major-General, defended Kut-el- Amara against 
the Turks in Babylonia during the present great 
war. 

The Indo-British army which entered Chitral 
consisted of about 15,000 troops. Robertson 
served with the Intellisfence Branch, which went 
on ahead. " Stage by stage as the force ad- 
vanced," Major-General Sir Robert C. Low has 
recorded, "the officers of the Intelligence Depart- 
ment reconnoitred, sketched, and reported on the 

(C903) 




GENERAL SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON 

Chief of the Imperial CJeneral Staft. 



SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON 9 

route to be followed by the troops in the rear — 
the mileage of this alone being 186 miles. In 
addition, 600 miles of branch road were sketched 
and reconnoitred, as well as between thirty and 
forty passes; and the whole country embraced 
by these reconnaissances was gazetted, and much 
new information collected." 

While engaged in this intelligence work 
Robertson ran many risks, and on one occasion 
narrowly escaped with his life. It happened that 
he was scouting with a small party of natives, 
his guide being a Pathan, in whom he trusted. 
But this wily and plausible hillman was really 
a spy, and one evening in a lonely place at- 
tempted to kill Robertson, first trying to shoot 
him, and then to cut him down with a sword. 
The gallant Lieutenant, finding the whole party 
against him, had to set up a desperate fight, 
and being as powerful as he is courageous, he 
managed to effect his escape, although suffering 
from severe wounds in the head, back, and left 
hand. It will be recalled that Kitchener de- 
fended himself in like manner against an armed 
mob in Palestine, when by sheer gallantry and 
prowess he saved his own life and that of his 
friend. Lieutenant Conder. 

For his services in this campaign Robertson 
received the D.S.O., and was specially mentioned 
in dispatches as "a very active and intelligent 
officer of exceptional promise ". 

In the following year he served under Lord 

(0903) 2 



lo FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Roberts as a staff- captain at Simla. Having 
thus won promotion, he resolved to rise still 
higher. With this end in view he began to 
study hard for the entrance examination of the 
Staff College. He had to acquire a knowledge 
of two Continental languages, and selected French 
— which he already knew to some extent — and 
German, which he had to learn specially for the 
purpose. Having passed successfully, he bade 
farewell to India and returned to his native 
country to continue his studies at the Staff College 
at Camberley, London. He was accompanied by 
his wife, a daughter of Lieutenant-General Palin, 
whom he had married at Simla in 1894. 

For two years Captain Robertson studied hard 
at the Staff College, where his fellow students 
included Sir Douglas Haig and Sir Archibald 
Murray, and passed the final examination with 
distinction. He afterwards received an appoint- 
ment at the War Office, with which he was, later, 
to become so closely associated. 

During the South African War Robertson 
served with the rank of Major on the staff of 
Lord Roberts, and performed special and impor- 
tant duties on the Intelligence Branch at Head- 
quarters. For his services he was promoted to 
the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, was mentioned 
in dispatches, and received the medal with four 
clasps. 

On the conclusion of peace he returned to the 
War Office, where, for several years, he held the 



SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON ii 

important post of Assistant Director of military 
operations. His duties were chiefly concerned 
with offensive and defensive war plans for the 
Empire. No one realized more than he the 
great importance of thorough military organiza- 
tion, and the need for setting up a high standard 
of training for every branch of the army. 

In 1907 he became Assistant- Quartermaster - 
General at Aldershot under Lord French, and 
when General Sir H. Smith -Dorrien took over 
the command, he became Brigadier-General and 
Chief of the Staff. Having made a reputation 
for himself by his thoroughness and method and 
his devotion to duty, he was appointed in 19 10 
Commandant of the Staff College at Camberley, 
where he was charged with the instruction of the 
future staff officers of the army. This post he 
held for three years. In one of the addresses 
he delivered to these young officers he said: — 

"You should direct your studies and peace preparations in 
general to a special and definite end — that of fighting the most 
probable and formidable adversary for the time being. Finally, 
remember that when the day for fighting comes, the qualifica- 
tions demanded of you, whether on the staff or in command, 
will include, in addition to a good theoretical knowledge of 
your professional duties, the possession of a quick eye, a good 
digestion, an untiring activity, a determination to close with 
your enemy, and a firm resolution not to take counsel of your 
fears." 

Robertson returned to the War Office in 19 13 
to occupy the post of Director of Military Train- 



12 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

ing. In less than a year war broke out. Lord 
French was appointed to the command of the 
British Expeditionary Force, which was mobilized 
and sent to France without a hitch or delay, so 
perfect was the existing organization. The army 
was small — it consisted of only six divisions — but 
it was highly trained, and, as all the world knows, 
achieved great glory, fighting against superior 
numbers. 

Two years later, when addressing a Lincoln- 
shire audience, Sir William spoke of the achieve- 
ments of this splendid army at Mons and Le 
Cateau, of how it retreated to the Marne and 
thrust back the enemy to the Aisne. " It is a 
story ", he said, " which will go down through 
history for all time." Then he added: — 

"By all the ordinary rules of war, they were thoroughly 
beaten divisions within a few days after they came in contact 
with the enemy. But they were not beaten; they never had 
been beaten; they are not beaten now; on the contrary, they 
are winning." 

Sir William acted as Quartermaster -General 
in the field, and it was mainly due to him that 
the army was so well fed, clothed, and supplied 
with munitions. 

An indication of some of the difficulties which 
had to be overcome, and of the manner in which 
they were overcome, was given by Sir William 
when, at Bradfield College, in November, 19 16, 
he unveiled a cross erected to the memory of 
159 Bradfield boys who had fallen in the war. 



SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON 13 

Many of them had been dispatch-riders with the 
first army, and took part in the great retreat from 
Mons. Sir WilHam said: — 

" I shall never forget the fine work they did. Dispatch-riding 
in these days was a perilous business, demanding great resource, 
good physique, and determination. I have had many experi- 
ences of the splendid work done by the dispatch-riders. No 
matter what time of day or night, what weather, wet or fine, 
dispatch-riders were ready. On one occasion during the retreat, 
when things were at their worst, it was necessary to get instruc- 
tions to head-quarters. All my dispatch-riders were out of the 
way, and there was no one to send. But two boys came in; 
they had been out for hours and were hot and tired. They 
had heard that I wanted someone, and offered their services. 

" I did not like to send them, because they were not fit to 
go, and I told them I could not send them; but they said, 
' Yes, sir, we will go.' 

"They went, and got through; and I am glad to say they 
came back." 



In his dispatch dealing with the retreat from 
Mons, Lord French paid a tribute to the Quarter- 
master-General. "Sir William Robertson", he 
wrote, " has met what appeared to be almost 
insuperable difficulties with his characteristic skill 
and determination." " Eye-Witness", the official 
war correspondent during the early period of the 
war, wrote on one occasion: "It is universally 
admitted that no British army yet placed in the 
field has been so well fed as ours is to-day. . . . 
The excellence of the performance of the supply 
columns during the present campaign is shown 
by the fact that, except during the retirement, 



14 FROM ALL THE FROiNTS 

not a single day has passed upon which food has 
not reached our men." The work performed by 
the Quartermaster- Genera] made possible the 
early successes won by our gallant and peerless 
army. 

After serving as Chief of the Staff under Lord 
French, and as Commander of the ist Infantry 
Division, Sir William returned to the War Office, 
as our army grew rapidly in numbers, to become 
Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and relieve 
Lord K'tchener, Secretary of State for War, of 
the arduous and exacting duties of directing mili- 
tary operations in the various fields of action. 
His department has been aptly called "the brains 
of the army ". It plans and organizes military 
training and military operations, keeps up the 
supply of reinforcements, and, in short, performs 
the general management of the war. Sir William, 
with long and great experience, has proved him- 
self an ideal Chief of the Imperial General Staff 
He is not only a tireless and efficient worker, but 
a man of great determination and marked intel- 
lectual gifts, with a marvellous memory and a 
wonderful mastery of details. Withal, he is as 
genial as he is plain-spoken. In a letter to a 
member of Lambeth Borough Council in No- 
vember, 1916, regarding recruiting, he wrote: — 

"There is no doubt whatever of our ability to win the war 
if only we really put our backs to it. We have not yet done 
this. We still do not recognize the issues at stake, nor the 
efforts we ought to make and can make if we will but try. 



SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON 15 

I have every confidence in my countrymen, but they are not 
yet fully awake." 

Addressing a Red Cross meeting at West- 
minster, he spoke on the importance of keeping 
cheerful, and said: — 

•' Our soldiers and sailors are fighting as well as they always 
have done, and always will do. It is needless for me to say it 
is the duty of everyone who can to restore these men and help 
to keep them in good spirits. Go and see them and give them 
all the help you can. . . . Go with a cheerful face. Cheerfulness 
is the duty of every nation in time of war. Every man and 
woman who wears a cheerful face in time of war is performing 
a national duty. There is no reason why you should not be 
cheerful if you have a clear conscience. You will have that 
if you feel you have done your duty." 

The spirit of the strong man thrills through his 
advice to another audience, in which he said : — 

" ' Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.' That is a 
good motto. We have a long way to go, and we must be ready 
to go all the way. Fight to a finish is the order." 

Reorardinor the work of women, he has said : — 

" I have great faith in the women. The women by universal 
consent have done splendidly in this war, and have shown 
splendid fortitude in time of anxiety, sorrow, and bereavement. 
And they have worked hard too." 

His reference to the Empire and Germany's 
mistaken notion regarding it is also worth re- 
calling : — 

"All parts of the Empire have sent of their best. Whatever 



i6 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

mistakes Germany may or may not have made, she undoubtedly 
made one in this connection. She thought that as soon as we 
went to war our Empire would tumble and fall. It was a foolish 
mistake. Germany has done more to unite the Empire than 
could possibly have been done without this war." 

Sir William, as his letter to the Bishop of 
London on National Mission work has shown, 
is a man of strong religious leanings. " I am 
old-fashioned enough ", he wrote, *' to think that 
this great war, like those of which we read in 
the Old Testament, is intended to teach us a 
necessary lesson, and if this be so, it follows that 
we ought to examine ourselves and take the 
lesson to heart. A serious determination on the 
part of the nation to seek and deserve Divine 
help would, we may hope, enable us to take a 
true perspective of the war." 



FIELD-MARSHAL 
SIR DOUGLAS HAIG 

Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Commander- 
in-Chief of the British army in France and Flan- 
ders, is one of the greatest soldiers that Scotland 
has given to the Empire. He is the youngest 
son of the late Mr. John Haig of Cameron Bridge, 
Fife, and was born in Edinburgh on 19th June, 
1 86 1. The Haig family is a very old one, and 
has been connected with the Lowlands of Scotland 
since the Middle Ages. The signature of Peter 
de Haga of Bemersyde appears on documents 
connected with Melrose Abbey between the years 
1 1 50 and 1 200. Thomas the Rhymer prophesied 
that 

** Tyde what may betyde 
Haig shall be Haig of Bemersyde ". 

A Haig of Bemersyde fought at the Battle of 
Bannockburn in 13 14, and was killed at the 
Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333. Another fought 
at the Batde of Sauchieburn in 1488, and a third 
fell at Flodden in 15 13. Sir Douglas is de- 
scended from John Haig of Garthlands, near 
Alloa, who was fifth in lineal descent from James 

17 



i8 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Haig, seventeenth of Bemersyde. His mother, 
Rachel Mackerras, was the daughter and co-heir 
of Hugh Veitch of Stewartfield, near Edinburgh, 
and a descendant of King Robert HI of Scotland. 
Sir Douglas has also among his ancestors the 
distinguished soldier, Sir John Swinton, who com- 
manded the Scots at the Battle of Otterburn in 
1388. 

Of Sir Douglas's early days four stories are 
told. Major-General Sir George Younghusband 
says, in his book A Soldier s Memories, that he 
remembers him at Clifton College as " a nice- 
looking, clean little boy in an Eton jacket and 
collar, walking up the aisle of the chapel". "Next," 
he narrates, he saw " the same boy standing with 
his back to the chapel wall as a cricket fag, while 
one of the XI was having his practice at the XI 
net. From that day forth", he goes on, "we 
never met till Sir Douglas was a Major-General 
and an Inspector-General of Cavalry in India. . . . 
As he came forward to meet me, even after all 
those years, at once to be recognized was the 
clean, nice-looking boy with the Eton jacket and 
collar." 

Another fellow -pupil remembers him as "a 
great stew", whose "habits were very methodi- 
cal", but whose "love of poring over his books 
did not prevent him taking his share in healthy 
outdoor sports". After leaving Clifton, Sir 
Douglas went to Brasenose College, Oxford, of 
which he was made an Hon. Fellow in 19 15. 



SIR DOUGLAS HAIG 19 

Sir Douglas entered the army when he was 
twenty-four, receiving a commission in the 7th 
Hussars. Although a "born soldier", he ex- 
perienced some difficulty in passing his entrance 
examination. Like Joffi'e, he suffers from an eye 
defect. When that great French soldier was a 
young man he was stung in the left eye by a 
tropical insect during the march towards Tim- 
buctoo, and suffered so much afterwards from the 
effects of the glaring sunshine on the desert that 
he was threatened with blindness. His left eye 
has ever since been almost useless. Haig's eye 
defect, however, is not the result of accident or 
illness. He is said to have been partially "colour 
blind " from birth. The examiners were inclined 
to disqualify him on this account, but the Duke 
of Cambridge, who was then Commander-in-Chief, 
considered he was otherwise a suitable and pro- 
mising candidate, and decided to accept his nomi- 
nation. Thus, like Kitchener, who had fought as 
a volunteer in the French army during the Franco- 
Prussian War, and by so doing committed a 
grave military offence, he owed to the Duke of 
Cambridge the privilege of becoming an officer 
of the British army. 

It is of special interest, in this connection, to 
find that Sir Douglas has made a special appeal 
on behalf of blinded soldiers in the war book of 
the Savoy Fair in London, in which he wrote : — 

" It does seem to me a very fitting thing that a special effort 
should be made to provide for our soldiers and sailors who 



20 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

sacrificed their sight, perhaps the most precious possession of 
man after Hfe itself". 



For several years after joining the Hussars, Sir 
Douglas worked hard to make himself efficient 
and win promotion. He was as devoted a student 
of military science and history as Lord French or 
Sir William Robertson. In 1896, when he was 
already marked out as a soldier of great promise, 
he qualified himself to pass the entrance exami- 
nation of the Staff College at Cambridge. Among 
his fellow-students were three who have become 
outstanding figures in the Great War. These 
are Sir William Robertson, Chief of the Imperial 
General Staff, Sir Archibald Murray, who pre- 
ceded Sir William in this responsible post, and 
afterwards became a General Officer Commanding 
of the First Class, and Major -General Milne, 
Commander-in-Chief of the British Balkan Army. 
Sir Douglas passed with distinction, especially in 
strategy and tactics. He also proved himself an 
excellent linguist. The French language espe- 
cially appealed to him strongly, and he spoke it 
like a Frenchman. 

In his appreciation of Haig, which appeared 
in a Paris newspaper, Lord Esher has said of 
him: — 

" He has studied his profession deeply. He has put aside 
all competing interests. He has resisted all temptations to 
divert his attention to other pursuits or to pleasure. By day 
he has for years laboured at the details of war, and by nighv 



SIR DOUGLAS HAIG 



21 



he has dreamed of it. ... A master of detail, no detail has 
been left unconsidered. Method, decision, and perseverance 
are his mots d'ordre." 



Sir Douglas received his baptism of fire in 
the Sudan, where he served under Kitchener in 
1898. He took part in the battles of Atbara and 
Omdurman, and having been mentioned in dis- 
patches, was promoted to the brevet rank of 
Major, and received the British medal and the 
Khedive's medal with two clasps. 

In 1899 he went to South Africa, where he 
first served as Chief of Staff to Lord French, and 
took part in the delaying action at Colesberg. 
He also distinguished himself in various other 
operations, proving himself a brilliant leader of 
cavalry. He soon became a "marked man". 
"In Major Haig ", declared one of the historians 
of the war, "he (French) possessed an invaluable 
officer, one of the few in the whole army capable 
of doing real General Staff work." In 1900 he 
was selected by Kitchener to command four of 
the sweeping columns, and for several months he 
conducted operations in Cape Colony and the 
Orange Free State against such elusive and expert 
Boer leaders as Kritzinger and De Wet. It is 
noteworthy now to recall that he also came into 
conflict with General Smuts, whom he attempted 
to "round up". When Smuts was, later, the 
guest of Sir Douglas at his head - quarters in 
France, the two chatted pleasantly over their 



22 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

experiences in the South African War, which 
had, as is now realized, developed in both those 
high military qualities which have proved so 
valuable an asset to the British Empire in the 
present Great War, in which Briton and Boer 
are fighting together for freedom and civiliza- 
tion. 

For his brilliant services in South Africa Haig 
was frequently mentioned in dispatches. He was 
raised to the brevet rank of Colonel, appointed 
an A.D.C. to the King, made a C.B., and was 
awarded the Queen's Medal with seven clasps, 
and also the King's Medal. 

From 1 90 1 till 1903 Haig was Lieutenant- 
Colonel of the 17th Lancers, and he raised that 
famous regiment to a high pitch of efficiency. 
" He looks every inch an ideal leader of cavalry", 
wrote a military critic during this period, "and is 
a fine horseman and a first-class polo player." 
He afterwards went to India for three years as 
Inspector-General of Cavalry. This appointment 
was due to the special request of Lord Kitchener, 
then Commander-in-Chief of the army in India. 
He had a high appreciation of Haig's wide know- 
ledge and special ability, and had reason to be 
well satisfied with his work while under his com- 
mand. In 1904, on the recommendation of 
Kitchener, the future Commander-in-Chief in 
France was raised to the rank of Major-General. 

Haig returned to London in 1906, and for 
twelve months weis engaged at the War Office as 



SIR DOUGLAS HAIG 23 

Director of Military Training. Some military ex- 
perts were of opinion, at the time, that he was 
worthy of a still higher position. 

The Esher Commission had been engfaofed for 
some months in making recommendations for the 
reform of the War Office and the reorganization 
of the army, and especially in creating a General 
Staff. "Up till 1905", Lord Esher has written 
in the Paris Matin, " the British army possessed 
no General Staff. When my committee recom- 
mended its formation, the personality of General 
Haig, then only forty -four years old, and very 
junior in the army, had so impressed itself upon 
the British Government that there was a wish to 
appoint him as chief of the General Staff, making 
the appointment practically permanent." This 
decision, however, was not carried out, and an 
older officer was selected instead. 

From 1907 till 1909 the rising young General 
held the responsible post of Director of Staff 
Duties at Army Head-quarters. He introduced 
many far-reaching changes, and the Empire is 
now reaping directly the benefit of his efficiency 
as a military organizer and reformer during his 
strenuous years of service at the War Office. 
Indeed, Haig may be regarded as one of the 
" makers " of the new British army, which has 
proved to be so thoroughly organized in every 
branch. 

In 1909 he was appointed Chief of Staff in 
India to the Commander-in-Chief According to 



24 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Lord Esher he was reluctant to give up his work 
at the War Office. " He remonstrated strongly," 
his lordship tells, "so convinced was he that a 
war between France and Germany was imminent, 
a war in which Britain would be on the side of 
France, and in which it was the wish of his heart 
to take part." 

For three years he performed arduous and 
valuable work in India, where his services were 
warmly commended by the Commander-in-Chief. 
He was glad, however, to return to England in 
191 2 to become General Officer Commanding at 
Aldershot, the highest command in the British 
army during peace time. This post he occupied 
until the outbreak of the Great World War in 
August, 1914. The "wish of his heart" was thus 
realized, and he went to France, serving under 
Lord French as commander of the First Army 
Corps. 

From the outset he proved himself a leader of 
great resource and decision. He was generously 
praised by French in his dispatches for his parti- 
cularly marked and distinguished services. In the 
Mons dispatch French said he " could not speak 
too highly of the skill evinced" by him, and 
praised the manner " in which he had extricated 
his corps from an exceptionally difficult position 
in the darkness of night", and also praised him 
for the manner in which he had handled the 
cavalry under his command. The Germans be- 
lieved they had enveloped the British army, and 



SIR DOUGLAS HAIG 25 

joy-bells were ringing in Berlin, but they reckoned 
without such brilliant leaders as Sir Douglas 
Haig, among others, proved to be. 

After the retreat to the Marne, which he helped 
to carry out successfully, Haig proved his worth 
anew in the brilliant thrust against a weakened 
point in the German line which resulted in the 
plans of the enemy being thrown into confusion. 
Paris was saved, and the Germans had to conduct 
a hurried retreat to the Aisne. So quickly did 
the British follow that their crossing of that river 
could not be prevented, although they were con- 
fronted by superior numbers and stronger artillery 
than they could bring up, or than they, indeed, 
possessed. 

The next struggle in which Sir Douglas proved 
his worth was the Battle of Ypres, when the Ger- 
mans attempted to break through the British 
army and reach the French coast. Again they 
were in superior force and possessed superior 
equipment, but after a desperate struggle their 
plan was baffled by leaders more resourceful and 
efficient than their own, and by fighting men who 
had first claim to the reputation of invincibility 
which was regarded throughout Germany as a 
special attribute of the Kaiser's army. The Ger- 
mans were outfought and outgeneralled, and re- 
ceived a blow from which they did not recover for 
a period. Their success depended on striking 
swiftly and effectively, and to them delay meant 
defeat. Frustrated in their plans, they were un- 

(0 903) 3 



26 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

doubtedly severely defeated, and the losses they 
sustained in men were exceedingly high. 

One of the first signs that the initiative was 
passing from the Germans was the brilliant action 
fought at Neuve Chapelle, where Haig achieved 
his first success in the new phase of the Great 
War, which made him a hero to the British public. 
In his dispatch dealing with this action Lord 
French wrote: — 

" I desire to bring to your lordship's special notice the valu- 
aole services of General Sir Douglas Haig, K.C.B., K.C.I. E., 
K.C.V.O., A.D.C., commanding the First Army. 

"Whilst the success attained was due to the magnificent 
bearing and indomitable courage displayed by the troops of 
the 4th and Indian Corps, I consider that the able and skilful 
dispositions which were made by the General Ofificer Com- 
manding First Army contributed largely to the defeat of the 
enemy and to the capture of his position. The energy and 
vigour with which General Sir Douglas Haig handled his com- 
mand show him to be a leader of great ability and power." 

Our army in France was gradually increasing 
in numbers. At Neuve Chapelle and elsewhere 
the Territorials had proved themselves worthy to 
fight shoulder to shoulder with the Regulars, and 
the Dominions were sending their contingents 
overseas to serve the Empire in its time of need. 
In the mother country new and large armies were 
being recruited and trained, and the production 
of munitions on a vast scale was being thoroughly 
organized. The time was drawing nigh when 
Great Britain was to step into the front rank of 



SIR DOUGLAS HAIG 27 

the world's military powers, and along a gready 
extended line on the Western Front to attack the 
enemy in adequate force and in overwhelming 
strength. 

In December, 191 5, French retired from the 
higher command and was succeeded by Haig, 
whom he had commended in such generous 
terms and made famous throughout the Empire. 
In the official announcement of the change it 
was stated: — 

" General Sir Douglas Haig has been appointed to succeed 
Field-Marshal Sir John French in command of the Army in 
France and Flanders. 

"Since the commencement of the war, during over sixteen 
months of severe and incessant strain, Field-Marshal Sir John 
French has most ably commanded our armies in France and 
Flanders, and he has now at his own instance relinquished 
that command." 

Sir John was appointed to command the troops 
stationed in the United Kingdom, and His Majesty 
conferred upon him the dignity of a Viscount of 
the United Kingdom. 

The choice of Sir Douglas Haig to succeed the 
gallant and tried hero of Mons, the Marne, and 
Ypres was approved on all hands, and nowhere 
more appreciatively than in France, where the 
newspapers and public men paid tributes to the 
brilliant work he had already performed in the 
most critical period of the great struggle. " In 
our competent military circles ", wrote M. Marcel 
Hutin in Echo de Paris, " General Sir Douglas 



28 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Haig is regarded as a very remarkable manoeu- 
vrer and a soldier who is conversant with all the 
necessities of modern war, which he has studied 
thoroughly, whilst the careful and scientific way 
in which he conceives and carries out his opera- 
tions, examining every eventuality and laying his 
plans, is well known. The British army will hail 
his nomination with great joy, and beyond all 
doubt the collaboration of the Franco- British 
Head-quarters staffs will assure a still more effec- 
tive co-ordination by the nomination of a new 
British Commander-in-Chief, to whom the French 
army extends a cordial welcome. If the Germans 
had still the faintest doubts about Britain's in- 
creasinof determination to continue the war on our 
shore to its logical conclusion, the selection of Sir 
Douglas Haig will remove it." 

The German papers assumed an air of indiffer- 
ence, and one of them, the Lokalanzeiger, reflected 
the view of the Kaiser's generals when it declared: 
" Sir Douglas Haig has no experience in command 
of large masses of troops". The time was coming 
when the ponderous and self-satisfied German 
War Lords would have something to learn from 
the brilliant and efficient Commander-in-Chief of 
the British armies on the Western Front. When 
they put into operation their plan to cripple the 
French defensive by an overwhelming display of 
" shock tactics " at Verdun, they found themselves 
checkmated by Sir Douglas Haig's powerful and 
irresistible offensive in the Somme valley, which 



SIR DOUGLAS HAIG 29 

assumed such dimensions and met with so large 
a measure of success that they had to withdraw 
their reserves from Verdun and concentrate all 
their energy and resources in warding off a great 
disaster to their arms. Early in 19 17, when they 
were planning offensives on other fronts, they had 
again to fight defensive actions against the great 
armies of Britain and France, which had developed 
a strength greater than their own, and were led 
with a degree of skill they were unable to surpass. 
Sir Douolas Haig- and his French comrades-in- 
arms, whom the Germans had affected to despise, 
wrested from them the initiative on which they 
had prided themselves. As in previous defensive 
operations, so in the new offensive operations, the 
Germans were outgeneralled, outmanoeuvred, and 
outfouorht. 

In sharp contrast to the melodramatic Hinden- 
burg, the military idol of Germany, Sir Douglas 
Haig is a soldier of modest demeanour, simple 
habits, and temperate speech. " He is Scottish 
throughout his being," Lord Esher has written 
in the Paris Matin, "religious, steady and cool, 
with a judgment unbiased by prejudice or passion. 
His ideal is that of a high-minded man and an 
accomplished soldier. He has attained to both 
of them." It has been recorded by a Scottish 
chaplain that he is in the habit of attending the 
simple Presbyterian services at the front, sitting 
among junior officers and common soldiers, dis- 
playing a spirit of humility which is not affected, 



30 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

and of devoutness which is an undoubted char- 
acteristic of the great man. 

Mr. FVederick Palmer, the American war corre- 
spondent, writing of Sir Douglas Haig at his 
head-quarters in France, says: — 

" Routine and punctuality are a part of the furniture of the 
house in France in which the Commander-in-Chief lives, as 
they are principles in his administration of the army. But 
there is no stiffness in his routine, no clicking together of heels; 
there are no shouted orders, no rigid salutes. The army is 
run as if it were a quiet family affair, with the atmosphere very 
simple and also Scottish and very strict." 

Referring to the success which attended the 
Somme offensive, when the British took over 
40,000 prisoners, and had shown their superiority 
in aviation, gun-fire and fighting, Mr. Palmer 
adds : — 

" It took a man with the character of Sir Douglas Haig to 
accomplish this marvel; a man of his patience, his routine, his 
iron resolution, and his vision. One phrase he is always using: 
' The spirit that quickeneth '. If the army and its ofificers had 
that, there was no obstacle which they could not overcome. 
He himself had it, and sent its thrill down through all ranks to 
the waves of men who charge under protecting curtains of fire, 
and the individual who took his life in his hands and crept up 
across shell craters to bomb machine-gunners to death in order 
that the infantry might advance." 

But Sir Douorlas's influence has not been con- 
fined to the army. It was due in no small 
measure to his direct appeal to the workers of 
Great Britain that they agreed to do without 



SIR DOUGLAS HAIG 31 

summer holidays in 19 16, so as to help in keep- 
ing up the supply of munitions. His expression 
of thanks to them was as simple as it was sincere, 
"All ranks", he wrote, "realize how much this 
success is due to the patriotism, self-denial, and 
whole-hearted co-operation of their brother workers 
at home." 

In one of his messages to the King, in reply to 
royal congratulations, he struck a note of uni- 
fying patriotism which resounded throughout the 
Empire when he wrote: — 

" May the comradeship of the battle-field knit still closer 
together the peoples of the Dominions and Mother Country 
in the Age of Peace which, please God, will be the fruit of 
the long and arduous war". 

He has found time to attend to comforts and 
recreations of the soldiers under his command, 
and to appeal to the public at home asking for 
supplies of books and magazines for the " rest 
huts". "I understand fully", he wrote, "the 
value of readable books to men who are out of 
the line with time in their hands and little oppor- 
tunity of getting anything of the sort for them- 
selves." 

Sir Douglas once wrote from the front a charm- 
ing letter to Muriel Porte, a little girl seven years 
of age, who had sent him a quantity of mittens, 
handkerchiefs, and Christmas cards from the 
Infant Department of Belfast Model School for 
distribution among the troops. It is as follows: — 



32 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

"Please accept my best thanks for your letter, and also 
please tell the other little girls how grateful we all are for their 
gifts, and how delighted we feel at knowing that they have 
thought of the soldiers of the First Army Corps and their wants. 
I am also very touched at what you say in your letter, 'that 
you are so small that you cannot do much to help, but you 
have done your best'. One cannot do more than one's best, 
can one? I very much hope that everyone in the great British 
Empire will also do his or her best to help, because then the 
war will soon be brought to a successful end. Again many 
thanks to you and the other little Irish girls, and with every 
good wish from the First Army Corps." 




GENERAL I'OCH 
Chief of the French General Staff 



GENERAL FOCH 

Chief of French General Staff 

General Foch was appointed Chief of the General 
Staff of the French army at the Ministry of War 
in Paris in May, 191 7. The post was a new one. 
It had been held with distinction for several 
months by General Petain, who was called to the 
Commandership- in -Chief of the French armies 
of the north and north-east soon after the spring 
offensive had opened. 

Prior to General Petain's appointment the French 
Commander-in-Chief in the field was also Chief 
of the General Staff, and his second staff officer 
acted for him at the War Office in Paris. Now 
the Commander-in-Chief in the field is relieved 
from the direction of War Office work, and re- 
ceives instructions from the Chief of the General 
Staff The new system of French war organiza- 
tion thus resembles the British, and differs from 
that of the German. It has the advantage that 
it enables the Chief of the General Staff to be 
constantly in touch with the Minister of War 
and with the Government, to which he can give 
advice promptly regarding questions of policy and 



34 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

strategy. The final control is thus in the hands 
of the Government, and the Commander-in-Chief 
can devote his whole time and attention to his 
immediate duties at the front. 

Like so many other distinguished officers, 
General Foch made his name first as an artillery 
officer. He is a native of Lorraine, and proved 
himself from his earliest days in the army a con- 
scientious and industrious officer of studious and 
methodical habits, with a large fund of common 
sense and a gift for organization. His only handi- 
cap is a somewhat delicate constitution. 

Long before the outbreak of war he was known 
and admired in military circles as a writer on 
modern methods of warfare, and in his various 
articles he showed himself an original thinker and 
one who could express his ideas in clear and 
simple language. 

For a period he acted as an instructor at the 
French Staff College, a post for which he was 
well suited by his extensive knowledge of military 
affairs. 

On the outbreak of the Great War General Foch 
commanded an army, and did much by vigorous 
fighting and clever tactics to retard the German 
advance towards Paris. He is one of the heroes 
of the battle of the Marne, at which he com- 
manded the 9th French Army on the French left. 
In September, 19 14, he found himself opposed 
by three German army corps and the famous 
Prussian Guard, commanded by General Bulow. 



GENERAL FOCH 35 

The enemy were confident of success, and had 
thrown pontoons across the river, threatening 
both the British and French forces. Foch tele- 
graphed to Joffre: "I am hard pressed on both 
flanks; therefore I attack in the centre". He 
attacked with fine effect, inflicting a severe defeat 
on the invaders and forcing them across the 
Marne towards Rheims. This action helped 
greatly to decide the battle which has proved to 
have been one of the decisive actions of the war. 
The British pressed forward also, and soon the 
German forces, under Bulow and Kluck, were in 
full retreat, after a four days' battle, which ended 
in victory for the Allies. 

General Foch was afterwards given command 
of a group of armies in the north of France, and, 
as at the Marne, was again closely associated 
with the British forces. He was in charge of 
the French offensive in the vicinity of Arras 
in the spring of 191 5, and although he failed to 
drive the Germans from their main positions, not 
having enough troops or sufficient weight of artil- 
lery, he inflicted upon them hard blows. Several 
minor successes were achieved north of Arras and 
on the road to Lille. The fighting fluctuated a 
good deal. The fiercest part of the struggle was 
waged for the possession of the Loretto positions, 
and trenches were captured and lost and recap- 
tured time and again. Great gallantry was dis- 
played by the French troops, and tributes, as 
generous as they were deserved, were paid to 



36 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

the superb leadership of General Foch, who, until 
the names of P^tain and Nivelle leapt into fame 
in connection with the Verdun operations, was, 
next to Joffre, the most- talked- of among the 
French leaders. 

After visiting the front in the autumn of 191 5, 
Lord Kitchener made special mention in a House 
of Lords speech of Foch's operations near Arras. 
He referred to the "capture of the whole of the 
heights of Notre Dame de Loretto, as well as 
a number of strongly fortified villages around the 
hiQ-h around", and said that General Foch had 
" secured an area of great tactical importance in 
view of future operations". As we now know, 
this operation of General Foch prepared the 
way for General Haig's great advance in 191 7. 
Kitchener declared himself "profoundly impressed 
by the high state of efficiency and the moral 
exhibited by the French army". 

At the Second Batde of Ypres, the most fierce 
and critical of the 191 5 battles in France, General 
Foch co-operated with General Sir John French 
in frustrating the German plan to break through 
the Allied lines and capture Calais. The crisis in 
the ereat conflict was reached when the French 
Colonials were forced to retreat suddenly from 
their positions as the result of a sudden and 
overwhelming discharge of gas by the Germans. 
A breach was thus made, and the enemy advanced 
confidently and assured of success; but the situa- 
tion was saved by the gallant and famous 3rd 



GENERAL FOCH 37 

Canadian Brigade, which extended its line and 
held back the Germans until reinforcements ar- 
rived. It was when the position still remained 
perilous that General Foch, who paid an eloquent 
tribute to the Canadians, undertook to try and re- 
capture within a certain period the trenches that 
the French division had lost. Days and nights 
of heavy fighting ensued, and although Foch did 
not achieve his purpose, the enemy was severely 
punished. It was then found possible to effect 
a strategic retreat, for the purpose of consolidating 
the Allied line, from ground of litde military value. 
The combined efforts of Foch and French thus 
prevented the Germans from achieving their pur- 
pose of forcing a way to Calais. 

Sir John (now Lord) French referred more 
than once in his dispatches to the Allied General. 
In November, 1914, after the Germans made 
their first attempt to reach Calais, he wrote: 
"Throughout these operations General Foch has 
strained his resources to the utmost to afford me 
all the support he could". In the La Bassee dis- 
patch in February, 19 15, French also made men- 
tion "gratefully once more" of "the valuable help 
and support I have received throughout this period 
from General Foch". 

The strain imposed by the severe and pro- 
longed fighting, during the period when the 
Allies were mainly on the defensive, told heavily 
on a constitution which had never been very 
robust, and General Foch found it necessary to 



38 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

ask to be relieved of his command of an army 
grouD. The rest he was enabled to take had 



roup 
been well earned. 

As Chief of the French General Staff at the 
Ministry of War, General Foch's great knowledge 
of modern warfare is of the utmost service to 
his country. "His marvellous head for military 
organization", as one Paris writer wrote when he 
was selected as Petain's successor, "will certainly 
be most valuable to the Government in Paris and 
to the Commander-in-Chief in the field." 



GENERAL PETAIN 

Commander-in-Chief of the French 
Armies in France 

General P^tain, Commander-in-Chief of the 
French armies of the north and north-east, is 
the world-famous defender of Verdun. When 
war broke out he held the rank of colonel in an 
infantry regiment, a position he won by great 
devotion to duty and much hard work. In his 
school days he was known as a solitary and 
somewhat bashful lad, much given to reading 
and walking about alone. " He was full of ideas," 
says a friend of his boyhood, "and many quaint 
ideas, indeed, for he was a thinker. He had 
always his own way of looking at things." 

After entering the army, Petain applied himself 
to military studies with great enthusiasm and 
industry. He was determined to master his sub- 
ject, and he did so in the most intelligent way. 
" He took nothing for granted ", the same writer 
says. " He had to think out every problem for 
himself, and in doing so he sometimes found out, 
or thought out, a new way of solving a difficulty. 
When considering a military operation which had 

89 



40 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

proved a failure, he liked to explain to one how 
it could have been made successful if such and 
such had been done instead of what had been 
done, and if such and such preparations had been 
made and such and such precautions taken." 

While serving as a junior officer, Petain paid 
strict attention to his immediate duties, and won 
promotion slowly but surely. His habit of doing 
things in a different way from other officers, how- 
ever, caused him to be looked upon as something 
of a crank. " He was bound to get on," a fellow 
officer has declared; "he took himself and his 
profession very seriously." 

A man of few words, and somewhat blunt in 
his manner of expressing himself, he was never 
very popular in his early days, although it cannot 
be said that he was disliked. At the mess table, 
when the conversation was taken up with gossip 
and " small talk ", he usually sat as silent as a 
sphinx. In fact, he has been called "a sphinx". 
But when military matters were under discussion 
he became alert and keenly interested. " I have 
seen him holding his own against a dozen," writes 
a fellow officer; "and more than once he proved 
himself a match for the majority. He had a 
wonderful range of knowledge, and a retentive 
memory, and gave expression to so many fresh 
ideas, which had been carefully thought out, that 
he was a difficult fellow to stand up against. 
He annoyed many, but everyone respected him." 

During military manoeuvres in peace time 




GENERAL I'ETAIN 



Commander in-Chief ol the French Armies in France. 



GENERAL P6TAIN 41 

P6tain was seen at his best. He was always 
"doing the unexpected". When he had risen 
to the rank of colonel, his regiment became noted 
in sham battles because of his new and original 
system of tactics. He always made a point of 
sparing his men and obtaining a success with 
the minimum of loss. In discussions with his 
superior officers regarding large military move- 
ments, he came to be known as a strategist with 
fresh and quite revolutionary ideas. It is told 
of him that his bluntness of speech often sur- 
prised and even annoyed the generals. When 
one of his plans was criticized pretty severely, 
he would sometimes exclaim, "You are quite 
wrong; you misunderstand me". Then he would 
go into every detail, working out the problem 
carefully to prove his point, often with the result 
that his critic would have to admit in the end 
that P^tain had made out a good case. " I 
wonder how your plans will work out in real 
warfare," a superior officer once said. The time 
came when, at Verdun and elsewhere, P^tain 
proved the soundness of his strategy, and con- 
vinced everyone that the system which saved the 
lives of soldiers was a system invaluable in modern 
warfare. He has always endeavoured to win a 
success with the minimum of losses, holding that 
successes which were won by a great expenditure 
of life might come to be reckoned as defeats in 
disguise. 

Besides being an original strategist, Petain is 

(0 903) 4 



42 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

a very shrewd and cool-headed leader. " No- 
thing ", says a Paris correspondent, " can upset 
him. He is the sort of man who, if he began 
to shave himself in a burning house, would not 
leave it until he had finished shaving. If he 
ever finds himself in serious trouble, he does not 
worry or show emotion. He just sits down at 
once to think out a plan which will take him 
out of the trouble. And his thinking must be 
done thoroughly. Of course, his plan is sure 
to be original, and it is usually successful." 

A story is told regarding an important military 
operation which brings out this trait in his char- 
acter. One forenoon, during the early part of 
trench warfare, when P^tain was a general in 
command of a division, one of the staff officers 
entered the General's private room in a rather 
excited state and told that the Germans had 
made a surprise attack on a part of the French 
line and had captured a line of trenches, taking 
a good many prisoners. 

The General laid out a map before him and 
asked for fuller details. He remained quite cool, 
and did not even rise from his chair. The clock 
struck eleven. 

The staff officer told all he knew, and added: 
"The attack is still proceeding, and grows in 
strength." 

General P^tain answered calmly, " I must have 
fuller details." He was so cool that he seemed 
to be quite unconcerned. An hour went past 



GENERAL PETAIN 43 

while the staff officers supplied the general from 
time to time with the scraps of information that 
came in. These were received by Petain in 
silence. 

" Have you decided what you shall do.?" asked 
his chief staff officer at length. He was anxious 
and impatient. 

"I can do naught until I know everything," 
was the General's answer, as he lit a cigar and 
began to puff clouds of smoke across the map. 

Another hour went past, and the information 
that filtered in regarding the German attack 
became more and more serious. The staff 
officers grew more and more impatient as the 
minutes flew past, and Petain remained seated 
at his desk. 

"Oh, this is terrible!" exclaimed an exas- 
perated officer. -Will the General never issue 
an order.'*" 

At half-past twelve the Chief of Staff, having 
received almost all the information required by 
the General, hastened to the private room and 
repeated it in full detail. Petain nodded and 
pointing to a position on the map, asked a ques- 
tion. The officer was unable to answer it. " I 
must know exactly how matters stand there," said 
the General very calmly. 

The Chief of Staff turned away with a gesture 
of despair, and ran to a telephone instrument. 

"No order yet.?" questioned another officer. 

The Chief shook his head. 



44 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

" Has the General lost his reason?" exclaimed 
this officer to others who stood near him. 

No one answered, but the faces of all looked 
very grave. 

Just as one o'clock struck, the Chief Staff 
Officer rushed towards the General's private 
room, having obtained the information desired. 
The position seemed to him to be growing ex- 
tremely serious indeed. 

retain heard what he had to say, and sat for 
a few moments pondering in silence. Then he 
rose up and began to dictate orders. He had 
worked out his plan to the minutest detail and 
decided to launch a counter-attack. 

Every member of the staff was soon at work. 
The telephone bells tinkled sweetly in their ears, 
and order after order was sent over the wires. 

In less than an hour favourable reports began 
to come in, and these were conveyed to the 
General, who remained in his room jotting down 
details on his large-scale map. Before three 
o'clock it became evident to every member of 
the staff that P^tain had taken action at the right 
moment, and had caught the Germans in a trap. 
Sitting alone in his little study, he directed the 
counter-attack as coolly as if he were playing 
a game of chess. The result was a complete 
success for him. So skilfully were his forces 
manoeuvred that by four o'clock all the lost 
trenches had been won back by the French, who 
not only made many German prisoners, but also 



GENERAL PETAIN 45 

set free those of their comrades who had been 
taken by the enemy. 

When the operation came to an end, the 
General discussed the plans he had made with 
the members of his staff, throwing off all reserve 
and speaking with animation and delight. What 
he prided himself most about was the fact that he 
had saved the lives of many men by moving 
forward quickly at one point, yielding a little at 
another, and completely deceiving the enemy. 
" We must always think of final victory," he 
added, " which comes to the army with the 
strongest force ready for action." 

At Verdun, the success which ultimately came 
to the French was due in no small measure to 
the manner in which Pdtain prevented the undue 
wastage of life. " Some sacrifices, which I 
grudged, were necessary," he said to one of the 
war correspondents; "but on the whole, yes, we 
have reason to be content. You see, I am an 
infantry officer, and I think I appreciate more 
than some may that the final victory lies with the 
army which has most men in the field. Even 
had we lost Verdun itself, the Germans could not 
have counted it less than a defeat. It cost them 
far too dearly." 

Trusted and admired by the French soldiers, 
General Petain is known not only as a clever 
and original strategist, but also as a just al- 
though severe disciplinarian. A story is told of 
how he once cleared the reputation of an officer. 



46 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

who was to be tried by court martial for dis- 
obeying orders. This officer was a company 
commander, and was accused of having retired 
from an advanced position, which he had been 
instructed to defend at all costs. The matter was 
reported to Petain, who was not satisfied with 
the information laid before him. " I shall visit 
this commander's sector to-morrow," he said, 
"and ask him a few questions." 

Next day Petain was in the trenches, and when 
he reached the company commander, against 
whom the grave charge had been made, he spoke 
to him in his usual blunt fashion, asking why he 
had fallen back from the position he had been 
ordered to hold. 

The commander answered frankly, pointing out 
that if he had remained where he was expected 
to remain, the French artillery would not have 
been able to shell the enemy's lines at the point 
where it had been decided to make the attack. 
The General cross-questioned the officer; and, 
then, having satisfied himself that he had acted 
properly by falling back as he had done, he said: 
'Allow me to congratulate you. In my opinion 
you were right." 

Then the General turned to the other officers 
who accompanied him and said: "This company 
commander has done exactly as I wish you all to 
do; he has used his own judgment like an in- 
telligent man." 

retain afterwards censured the senior officers 



GENERAL PETAIN 47 

who had charged the commander with a grave 
offence, pointing out to them that they themselves 
were at fault. 

In less than a fortnight the company com- 
mander was promoted to a higher rank. His 
alleged offence had, in the General's opinion, 
brought out his qualities as a strategist. 

From his command at Verdun, General P^tain 
was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the 
French army at Paris. He acted in this capacity 
until May, 191 7, when he was selected to take 
the place of General Nivelle as Commander-in 
Chief in the field. 



HEROES OF EMPIRE 

War has lost much of its picturesqueness. This 
is especially true when we consider the phase of 
the war which followed the retreat of the Ger- 
mans after the battle of the Marne. Until the 
time of writing these impressions battles were 
no longer fought in the open between troops in 
brilliant uniforms, nor were infantry formations 
broken by brilliant charges of forces of cavalry. 
Armies concealed themselves in trenches, which 
were bombarded by heavy artillery, trench mor- 
tars, and bombs, and when soldiers went out to 
attack, their ranks were swept by shrapnel, rifle 
fire, and machine-gun fire from concealed and 
protected positions. Withal, miners burrowed 
underground to lay mines below the enemy's 
trenches, while flying men waged fierce warfare 
above the clouds. Nor were battles fought and 
won in a single day as was the case in the past. 
They might continue day and night for a week, 
for a month, and even for several months on end, 
and be waged along a front extending for many 
miles. 

These great changes were brought about 
mainly by the development of artillery, the 

48 



HEROES OF EMPIRE 49 

general use of quick-firing guns, and of barbed 
wire as a protection. 

" Modern war", declared an Australian soldier 
who had had considerable experience of trench 
fighting, "is fought, so to speak, with machinery. 
The Germans burrow through the ground like 
rabbits, and hide behind their machine-guns. If 
they came out into the open they could not hold 
against us for long. Man to man they are no 
match for us. When you manage to reach them, 
they rarely show fight, but fling up their hands 
and cry ' Kamerad! Kamerad!'" 

" If", declared a French general at Verdun, 
" the Germans were less strongs in bigf and small 
guns, and had to depend chiefly on their rifles 
and bayonets, the war would not have lasted six 
months in all. The British alone would have 
beaten them with the small army they sent out 
at the beginning of the war." 

A similar opinion has been expressed by a 
South African officer of Dutch extraction. He 
had fought against the British in the Boer War, 
and had served under Botha in the German West 
African campaign, when Boer and Briton fought 
shoulder to shoulder against the common enemy. 
Then he came to London, where he obtained 
a commission in an Eng-lish reofiment. 

"The German can fight — yes, but he cannot 
beat the British soldier," he said while lying 
wounded in an English hospital. " I often heard 
my men deliver sage aphorisms regarding the 



50 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Boche for the benefit of the new men in the 
drafts. One of them was this: 'The closer you 
are to Fritz the safer you are'. Another: 'Get 
in quick and bite quick '. Just how very sage 
these sayings are I can show you. As long as you 
are far enough away from the Boche he will snipe 
you as hard as he can or turn his machine-gun 
on you. Nearer again, he will bomb you, and 
do it well. But when you get within striking- 
distance he will either surrender or run. . . . 
Our men are getting better every day while they 
deteriorate." 

He had nothing but praise for the "Tommy". 
"My men", he declared, "are splendid. They 
are very lovable fellows, good-humoured, clean, 
smart, and obedient. . . . The British Tommy is 
CTruffest when he is beingf kind. He threatens the 
Boche with the most awful luridness, and the next 
thing you see of him is that he is spoon-feeding 
a bandaged prisoner as he would a child and as 
gently. A wonderful fellow!" 

The German soldier did not impress him 
favourably, as the following extract from his 
statement shows: "See what he has done so 
wantonly to that part of the land (the Arras 
sector, St. Quentin)! He has stripped it bare, 
and left it naked and bleeding behind him. He 
has been foul beyond description." 

Many stories are told of the superb gallantry 
and dash of our British soldiers in France, where 
they have proved themselves more than a match 



HEROES OF EMPIRE 51 

for the Germans. At the village of Roeux, which 
lies in a loop of the River Scarpe, a few miles 
to the east of Arras, for instance, strong German 
positions were carried at the point of the bayonet. 
One officer tells: — 

" We simply had to crawl towards a position until we were 
near enough to rush it at any cost. The worst experience of 
all was that last rush on the enemy's position. The bullets 
were showered over us like rice on a bridal party leaving the 
church, and when they added the liquid fire you can imagine 
how hot it was. There was no turning back; we simply had 
to get through. We charged three times across ground that 
was swept from end to end by machine-gun bullets, and with 
bayonet and bomb we drove back enemy forces twice as strong 
as we were. We held our ground throughout the night against 
all comers, and in the morning carried some positions in front 
of us in the teeth of very severe opposition." 

It was at Roeux that a party of about twenty 
Scots set up a desperate fight against overwhelming 
odds until they were relieved by an English regi- 
ment. The Chemical Works had been captured, 
but the Germans counter-attacked in great force 
and retook this position. For three days the little 
company of Scots who had been left behind when 
their comrades retreated held their own agrainst 
the Germans, although completely surrounded. 
"Then", relates an eye-witness, "a body of Ger- 
mans three times their number began moving 
down an outflanking trench. By a clever counter- 
manoeuvre the Scots outwitted their antagonists, 
and, with the help of thirty - five men of an 
English regiment sent to their assistance, cap- 



52 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

tured the sixty Germans and retook the Chemical 
Works." 

Even the Germans have had to pay tributes to 
the gallantry and determination of British soldiers. 
One of their war correspondents tells how he met 
an officer of his acquaintance who had narrowly 
escaped being made a prisoner when our men 
advanced. " He was covered with mud, his uni- 
form was torn, and there were deep furrows on 
his brow. 'The slaughter was terrible', he said." 
This officer described an attack as follows : — 

"A machine-gun had been displaced by a shell. Some of 
our men seized it and began to fire. British on the right. 
Where? They are our men. No, no! they are British, and 
are quite near. . . . More trenches had to be evacuated. The 
British were pressing forward hotly. . . . We are in a village. 
Suddenly a British company appears as if from nowhere. Our 
machine-gun is turned on. Some fall, but an officer rallies 
them and they come forward. The machine-gun is silenced. 
. . . Often it was hard to say who was opposite, v/ho was on 
the flank, or in the rear. The British seemed to be every- 
where." 

The coolness and bravery of our men in attack 
have made "all the world wonder". One morn- 
ing as an Irish regiment scampered across No- 
Man's- Land a couple of privates took a football 
with them and kept dribbling and passing it, 
under fire, until at length they saw a German 
dug-out in front of them. The ball was sent 
spinning into it, and the men shouted "Goal!" 

Scots have been led to an attack by pipers. 
Piper Laidlaw, who won the Victoria Cross, led 



HEROES OF EMPIRE 53 

the King's Own Scottish Borderers in a charge, 
playing first "Blue Bonnets over the Border" and 
then "The Standard on the Braes of Mar". At 
Loos a Black Watch piper kept his pipes blowing 
amidst the roar of big guns and the clatter of 
machine-guns. 

Sometimes during an attack different regiments 
got mixed up, and lads from north and south, east 
and west, fought together in fine form. At the 
battle of Arras a mixed force of Middlesex men 
and Argyll -and -Sutherland Highlanders were 
isolated by a German counter-attack. Not only 
did the enemy press past them on their right and 
left, but even got behind them. The Londoners 
and Highlanders, however, held on gallantly and 
never dreamed of surrendering. They occupied 
a stretch of ground which was pitted with shell 
craters, and in one of the craters they had about a 
dozen German prisoners. For a whole day they 
held back the enemy, sharing food and ammuni- 
tion, and cheering one another with words of 
encouragement or banter. Night came on and 
still they held their ground, beating back the 
Germans who ventured near them. They were 
relieved early next morning by a fresh force that 
had been in reserve, and were able to press forward 
and win more ground. 

It was only on rare occasions during counter- 
attacks that a battle-field became, for a brief 
space, as spectacular as in the days of Wellington. 
The Germans, leaving their trenches and tunnels, 



54 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

advanced in massed formations, their bayonets 
flashing in sunshine, and the men shouting and 
cheering. But this brave show came to a speedy- 
end when the British guns got into play. " I have 
seen German regiments", one soldier tells, "swept 
out of existence in a few minutes. Masses of men 
came across a field. Then shrapnel began to 
pour on them in torrents, while rifle and machine- 
gun bullets pelted down as thickly as hailstones. 
When the smoke began to clear away, you saw 
only a few scattered men scampering away like so 
many scared rabbits." 

In the Somme valley and Arras offensives the 
Germans rarely showed much heart in attack. 
"They seem", declared an English captain, "to 
have been as much afraid of their own officers as 
of ourselves. When our men get near them, they 
show they have little heart in the business by 
their readiness to throw up their hands and cry, 
' Kamerad! Kamerad!' Some seem to go forward 
to charge in a counter-attack quite cheerfully in 
the hope that they will be made prisoners. A 
Danzior regiment on one occasion surrendered 
during a counter-attack almost without firing a 
shot." 

Our own army has indeed been an army of 
heroes. The Germans never expected that the 
millions of civilians who have been recruited in 
all parts of the British Empire since the outbreak 
of war would become matchless fighting men, and 
more than the equal of their own highly trained 



HEROES OF EMPIRE 55 

soldiers. It is impossible to mention in detail the 
various regiments that have distinguished them- 
selves. All have been splendid. The lads from 
Wales, for instance, won renown in the Somme 
valley when they captured Mametz Wood. As 
Mr. Lloyd George said at the time: "They are 
registered in the history of a country that has 
produced many valiant deeds in the past. ... A 
few weeks ago I saw that terrible wood. It was 
only those who saw it who could have any notion 
of the daring and the courage, as well as the skill, 
required to drive out the enemy entrenched in it." 

The advance in the Somme valley was greatly 
hindered for a time by the strength of the German 
positions in the four woods, named Bailiff, Trones, 
Bornafay, and Mametz. English regiments had 
pressed forward into the village of Contalmaison, 
where they had to sustain heavy fire on their 
flanks, and especially from Mametz Wood. The 
Welsh lads were sent out to capture it, and made 
a fierce and determined attack in face of powerful 
resistance. From their trenches and earth-forts 
the enemy poured a withering fire, and their posi- 
tions were protected by fallen and shattered trees. 
But the Welshmen never flinched. They fought 
till nightfall, and fought through the darkness 
until they routed the enemy, captured the whole 
wood, and pressed on beyond it. 

The London Regiments have time and again 
proved their worth, going out to attack with the 
proud cry, "London Leads!" and, at times, hold- 



56 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

ing their own against great odds, while the lads 
from Devon, the Midlands, Lancashire, Yorkshire, 
and elsewhere throughout England, have fully 
maintained the martial fame of their great an- 
cestors. 

The Scots, Highland and Lowland, known to 
their English comrades as the " Jocks ", from 
whose lips have often come the inspiring cry, 
" Scotland For Ever!" have ever been a terror to 
the enemy, as have also been the impetuous and 
determined fiorhting- men from Ireland. 

Heroes of mixed blood from all parts of the 
British Empire — sons of the sons of England, 
Scotland, Ireland, and Wales — have similarly per- 
formed great deeds and won new laurels for 
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South 
Africa, and shown the whole world, and especially 
the Germans, who, prior to the war, called the 
British race " decadent ", that our Empire is 
peopled by a breed of heroes, and is united in 
sentiment and principle as lovers of freedom and 
justice. To the strength of the Empire has been 
added the loyal co-operation of its native races. 
Indians have fought nobly and well in France, 
Egypt, German East Africa, and Mesopotamia. 
Maories from New Zealand have proved their 
worth in many a battle. But an even more re- 
markable feature of the Empire's military resources 
and united sentiment is the part taken by the 
Boers, with whom we were at war not many years 
ago. Boer and Briton have united against the 



HEROES OF EMPIRE 57 

common enemy, and obliterated the differences 
of the past. General Botha and General Smuts 
have once again proved their military genius in 
the great struggle, and have also distinguished 
themselves as great statesmen and born leaders 
of men. 

But while we take pardonable pride in the 
achievements of our soldiers of Empire, we have 
full appreciation of the great qualities displayed 
by our magnificent allies the French, Belgians, 
Italians, Russians, Portuguese, Japanese, Ser- 
bians, and Rumanians. To these have been 
added our kinsmen, the Americans of the United 
States, who are taking their part in the great 
struggle for liberty, the rights of nations, and 
international peace. 



(C90S) 



THE MACEDONIAN HEROINES 

The inspiring story of the noble work done by 
the British lady doctors, nurses, and chauffeurs of 
the Scottish Women's Hospitals in Macedonia 
will long be remembered, not only in their native 
land, but in the Balkans as well, and especially in 
Serbia. 

When the Serbian army had been reorganized 
after its great retreat to the Albanian coast before 
the superior forces of Germans, Austrians, and 
Bulgarians, and conveyed by sea to Salonika, it 
lacked a sufficient staff of doctors or trained 
nurses. The directors of the Scottish Women's 
Hospitals in Edinburgh were appealed to for 
help, and at once sent out a hospital unit, which 
had been named "The America Unit", because 
the women of America had given generous contri- 
butions to the funds required. Before it reached 
Salonika the Serbian army, with the aid of the 
Allies, had advanced towards and across the 
frontier of Macedonia, and the men saw once 
again the mountains of their conquered kingdom. 
Heavy fighting was in progress, and the enemy 
was being gradually driven back on Monastir. 

The America unit hastened northward from 



THE MACEDONIAN HEROINES 59 

Salonika soon after arrival there, with all their 
tents and hospital material packed in motor- 
ambulances, which were driven by ladies. For 
eighty miles of their journey towards Ostrovo 
they had to go over rough and narrow roads 
which were in places little better than cattle 
tracks, having been torn up by the heavy traffic 
and made very muddy by the rain. The skeletons 
of horses and cattle strewed the roadside ; many 
villages were in ruins, and the inhabitants could 
be seen doing their utmost to repair their houses 
and make them comfortable again. They passed 
hundreds of poor people who were camping by 
the wayside, waiting for the soldiers to drive back 
the invaders, so that they might be able to reach 
their desolated homes among the mountains. 

When the lady doctors and nurses reached 
Ostrovo, they looked about for a suitable place 
for their camp, and chose a sheltered spot behind 
a ridge of bare mountain, not far from the high- 
way. Serbian soldiers welcomed them, and told 
that many wounded men were waiting for treat- 
ment. Could the hospital be ready to take them 
in that night? 

Such a request could not be refused. Although 
they were tired and weary after their long rough 
journey, the staff set to work at once, erecting the 
hospital, laying out the beds, and doing everything 
necessary to treat the wounded Serbians. 

Meanwhile the lady drivers set out with their 
motor-ambulances to bring in the patients. They 



6o FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

had to go up the mountain passes as far as they 
dared towards the scene of the fighting and collect 
the wounded, who had been brought down from the 
little field stations on pack-ponies and stretchers. 
The roads through the passes were narrow and 
muddy, and in places very dangerous, especially 
where they twisted round the edges of precipices 
and skirted steep slopes of loose gravel and clay. 
Several army motor-lorries and carts had tumbled 
over the sides of these terrible roads before the 
hospital workers arrived, and could be seen lying 
among the rocks twisted and battered beyond 
repair. Some stretches of the roads ran sheer up 
and down among the hills like switchback rail- 
ways. The motors often stuck on steep inclines, 
and the nurses had to jump out and place big 
stones behind the wheels to keep them from 
rolling back. The daring and clever lady drivers, 
however, got over all difficulties and brought in 
the wounded safely, nor did one of them meet with 
a fatal accident. It was pitiful to see the wounded 
men. Many of them had been lying for hours on 
the bare ground, weak from loss of blood, suffer- 
ing from pain and cold and hunger, and covered 
with mud. They were very brave and made no 
complaint; hardly a groan came from the lips of 
the greatest sufferers. These Serbian heroes were 
all very grateful for the kindness shown them by 
the lady doctors and nurses from a distant land 
far across the ocean, and when they found them- 
selves in comfortable beds, with their wounds 



THE MACEDONIAN HEROINES 61 

dressed, and were given hot drinks, their faces 
grew cheerful and their eyes bright. Again and 
again they thanked the ladies, who did every- 
thing in their power to help them and relieve 
their pain. 

When night fell the booming of the guns could 
be heard in the distance. The battle was waging 
constantly behind the hill under which the hospital 
tent had been pitched, and all through the hours 
of darkness wounded men were being brought in. 
Few of the hospital staff got any sleep. 

Next day, and on many days that followed, 
German aeroplanes flew over the camp. It was 
feared that bombs would be dropped, but fortu- 
nately at the time the enemy was short of 
munitions, French motor-cars, armed with anti- 
aircraft guns, opened fire at the aeroplanes, and 
the little shells sometimes burst right above the 
hospital. 

When some of the staff found time to take a 
little exercise, they climbed the hill behind the 
hospital to get a glimpse of the fighting. They 
saw big shells bursting in the valleys beyond, and 
soldiers leaving their trenches to deliver attacks 
against strong positions. Again and again the 
enemy tried to break through the Allied lines so 
as to force their way into the passes. Had they 
succeeded in doing so the wounded could not have 
been removed in time, for the roads would have 
been blocked by soldiers and transport vehicles, 
and the hospital would probably have come under 



62 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

the fire of field guns in the confusion. People at 
home scarcely realize how great were the perils 
faced by the brave lady doctors and nurses in 
Macedonia and Serbia. 

Besides treating the wounded, the hospital staff 
often did their utmost to relieve the sufferings of 
troops on the march. One wet and stormy after- 
noon a regiment of dark Senegalese soldiers, 
under the command of French officers, halted be- 
side the hospital on their way to the front. All 
the men suffered greatly from cold. They were 
taken into the kitchen in batches and given hot 
drinks. They thanked the ladies in broken 
French, bowing and smiling and saluting as 
they came and went. When they marched away 
at length through the rain, they raised cheers for 
the hospital staff and looked wonderfully happy. 
Soon after night fell about forty Senegalese 
stragglers arrived. They had lost their regiment 
and looked dejected and miserable, being very cold 
and drenched to the skin. The ladies set to work 
to make them comfortable, and gave them hot tea. 
The dusky soldiers gathered round the stove, and 
pleaded to be allowed to sleep on the kitchen 
floor all night. The nurses could not give up the 
kitchen to them, but they had a tent erected, and 
placed in it a big tin box filled with glowing char- 
coal. The stragglers were thus able to pass the 
night in shelter and pretty comfortably. No 
sooner were they thus attended to than a British 
soldier arrived. He was covered with mud from 



THE MACEDONIAN HEROINES 63 

head to foot, and so weary that he was hardly- 
able to walk. "Yet," as one of the nurses has 
told, "he was still smiling." 

The soldier received a warm welcome from his 
countrywomen. He told them he was in charge 
of a motor-car which had got stuck in the mud, 
and that after leaving" it to look for help, darkness 
had come on and he could not find it aoain. A 
complete change of clothing was found for the 
soldier, and after he had been given some food, 
a "shakedown" was provided for him in one of 
the tents. "Well, well, ladies," he exclaimed, " I 
am in great luck to-night. How can I thank 
you?" The ladies, who had been doing their best 
to help everyone, were only too pleased to do 
what they could for a countryman, and especially 
a soldier of the great British citizen army. 

Often the camp was a " Babel of tongues ". 
One day a motor-lorry got stuck in a quagmire 
not far from it, and a motley company of workers 
did their best to pull it out. Among the men 
who " put their shoulders to the wheel " were 
British men, Frenchmen, Anamites from Indo- 
China, Serbians, Russians, and a few Bulgarian 
prisoners. They were all shouting in their own 
languages, and the only orders they could under- 
stand were those griven in dumb show. After a 
great effort they were able to haul the motor on 
to hard ground again. 

As the fighting increased in fury the wounded 
were brought in by day and night in large num- 



64 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

bers. Those patients who could be removed with 
safety were from time to time sent south to 
Salonika to make room for fresh cases. Many- 
difficult operations had to be performed, and the 
staff in the operating tent were kept very busy. 
They worked at all hours, and had to snatch a 
little time for sleep when possible. It is no wonder 
to learn that some of them lost count of the days 
of the week. " Is this Wednesday?" a hard- 
worked nurse asked one evening. " No," laughed 
another, " it is Friday." 

In addition to organizing .and running the 
hospital, the staff had also to undertake a great 
deal of laundry work. A house near the camp 
was occupied for this purpose, and a number of 
native women had to be employed to do the 
washing. Most of them spoke a mixture of the 
Serbian, Bulgarian, and Turkish languages, and 
the Scottish lady in charge of the laundry found 
it difficult to make herself understood. An inter- 
preter, who had a slight knowledge of French, 
was, however, found, and she translated to the 
women workers the orders that were issued. The 
native women were very poor, and were glad to 
be able to earn a little money. They came every 
morning with their babies and gave them to little 
girls to nurse. The sickly children were treated 
by the lady doctors, who received many blessings 
from the poor women who had been suffering 
greatly on account of the war. The villagers 
learned to admire and love the ladies of the hos- 



THE MACEDONIAN HEROINES 65 

pital staff who treated them with such great kind- 
ness, and were ever ready to attend to their needs. 
In days to come many touching stories will be 
told in Macedonia and Serbia about the noble 
women of Great Britain who performed a labour 
of love in their war-stricken land, and did every- 
thing in their power to relieve suffering without 
desire for or hope of reward. Among those who 
met their death while engaged in the good work 
was Mrs. Harley, sister of Lord French, who was 
fatally wounded by a shell at Monastir 



THE LADY OF LOOS 

The story of " The Lady of Loos " is one of the 
most inspiring in the annals of the Great War. 
This French heroine's name is EmiHenne Moreau, 
and she was only eighteen years of age when the 
battle of Loos was fought on that memorable 
Saturday in September, 191 5, and the heroic 
British troops won a victory over the Germans, 
pushing back their lines and capturing many pri- 
soners and ofuns. 

Emilienne is a native of the village of Loos, 
,and with the other villagers — chiefly old men and 
women and young children, for the able-bodied 
men were fighting in the armies of France — en- 
dured the perils of the fierce bombardment of 
the British guns, which compelled the Germans 
to crouch within cellars and dug-outs. The enemy 
had turned the village into a fortification. Earth- 
works on every side bristled with machine-guns. 
The cemetery had been converted into a fort; it 
was riddled with trenches, and tombs had been 
cleared to make room for guns, so that each tomb 
became a machine-gun emplacement. Mazes of 
barbed wire crossed every roadway and bulged 

66 



THE LADY OF LOOS 67 

round every earthwork. The Germans were con- 
fident that the village was impregnable, and that 
they would hold it with ease against attack. But 
the British soldiers broke through every obstacle, 
fi^htina: with oreat valour and determination until 
the village was completely captured. The Lon- 
doners approached from the south and assaulted 
the cemetery, and the Scots broke through on the 
west and the north. 

Emilienne Moreau's home was situated in one 
of the little streets in the west side of the village. 
The villagers, huddled in cellars and in narrow 
rooms, heard the shells screaming overhead and 
bursting above and around the German redoubts 
and emplacements. All night long the clamour 
resounded far and near. Everyone was weary, 
yet none could sleep. Whispers went round that 
the attack would open at dawn, and all looked 
forward with confidence to victory. 

When daylight came at length the roar of battle 
increased in fury. It was unsafe to venture out 
of doors, but brave men and women did so in 
quest of water and food for moaning and affrighted 
children. Shrapnel bullets spattered on roofs and 
walls time and again, and stray shells burst in 
narrow lanes, ploughing up the hard earth and 
wrecking buildings, which collapsed in clouds of 
dust. In the house next to Emilienne's a shell 
tore through the roof early in the forenoon and 
exploded in the backyard. 

" The end is near," cried an old woman. 



68 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

" Do not say that, mother," the daughter replied. 
"We are still safe." 

"Our soldiers are at hand, my girl. That is 
what I mean when I say ' the end is near ' — the 
end of the Boche rule here. Do you not hear the 
clamour of the machine-guns.-* The attack has 
commenced now." 

As she spoke, her husband ran into the house. 
"Ah! you are still alive," he exclaimed. He 
carried a pail of water and a loaf of bread. 

" How goes the batde.'*" asked his wife. 

" Our deliverers are at hand. I have seen 
them. They are not far off now." 

" The soldiers of France. <*" 

" No, not our soldiers, but those of our great 
ally; and they are kilted Scots, big brave men 
whom nothing will keep back. Hear them! hear 
them!" he cried, his eyes flashing with enthusiasm. 

Confused shouts resounded above the din of 
battle. 

"The Highlanders, the Highlanders are com- 
ing!" someone called from without. 

"Did I not tell you they were at hand.-*" the 
old man said proudly. " I have seen them with 
mine own eyes." 

The old woman peered from the window, and 
watched several Germans scampering past. 

" Ha! the Boches are running," she cried. 

Then she caught a glimpse of a tall Highlander. 
" The end is near, as I have said," she murmured 
gladly. 



THE LADY OF LOOS 69 

Soon the street was the scene of fierce fighting. 
A German machine-gun swept it for a few seconds, 
and then stopped suddenly, for its team had been 
overpowered. Scots soldiers rushed past the 
doors, and German riflemen crouching on house 
roofs and behind windows tried in vain to hold 
them back. Many fell, but the survivors swept 
on, driving the Boches before them as an autumn 
gale drives fallen leaves through a forest. The 
villagers ran out of doors, risking their lives to 
help and succour the wounded. Bleeding High- 
landers were carried into the houses, where their 
wounds were bandaged, and they were laid on 
beds and couches. Kindly hands smoothed their 
aching brows and pressed cups of cool water to 
their burning lips. 

Several wounded men lay in Emilienne Moreau's 
house. She helped to stanch their wounds, and 
showed great skill and sympathy in nursing them 
and attending to their needs. She seemed a born 
nurse, and her gentle words and sweet smile were 
like a tonic to the stricken soldiers. 

All day long she nursed them, while the battle 
waged fiercely through the village. " Water, 
water!" was a constant cry. An old man who 
had been drawing water all forenoon lay dead 
beside the well. A German sniper, concealed on 
a roof, had slain him. Women who attended to 
the wounded, passing from house to house with 
no thought of their own safety, had been wounded 
or slain, and several children had perished. Yet 



^o FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

the villagers continued their noble work. They 
were all inspired with the spirit which has made 
France great and strong. Time and again 
Emilienne drew water for her patients, and she 
had many narrow escapes. 

There was much confused fighting. Positions 
were taken and lost and taken again during the 
day. In the afternoon the quarter in which 
Emilienne Moreau lived was partially regained 
by the enemy. But the Germans were ultimately 
isolated. 

"They are coming back!" the shout went 
down the little street on one of the occasions 
when it seemed the Germans were regaining 
oround. 

"Who? The Boches?" one villager asked 
another. 

"Yes, they have rallied," called someone. 

" No, no," another protested, " these are Boches 
who have been cut off and are trying to re- 
treat." 

A woman shrieked with horror. Throug^h a 
shattered window in Emilienne's home she had 
seen a German soldier bayoneting a wounded 
Highlander in the street. 

"They are killing the wounded," she cried. 

As she spoke a German darted into the house. 
Emilienne caught a glimpse of his blood-stained 
bayonet, and a thrill of cold horror went through 
her. A kilted officer raised himself on his elbow 
and drew his revolver, but his hand shook as the 



THE LADY OF LOOS 71 

German, uttering a curse, darted towards him. 
Quick as lightning, Emilienne seized the revolver 
and fired. The German fell in a heap on the 
floor. She hardly realized what she had done, 
and ere she could collect her thoughts the officer 
called out something. Another German had ap- 
peared at the door. He too was searching for 
wounded men. Without hesitation Emilienne 
sprang towards him, and raising the revolver 
again, pulled the trigger. The German fell across 
the doorway mortally wounded. 

The air was thick with smoke. Emilienne 
glanced out at a window, but could not ascertain 
what was happening. A German soldier rushed 
past her, and then someone screamed near at 
hand; bullets whizzed through the air, and the 
groans of wounded men rose on all sides. But 
amidst that scene of horror and terror Emilienne 
remained fearless and composed. For her own 
safety she took no thought. Her sole concern 
was for the wounded men under her care. 

After a long interval an old man ran across 
the street, shouting Emilienne's name, and she 
answered him. 

"You are still alive," he exclaimed with relief 

"Two Boches tried to attack the wounded, 
and I shot them down," Emilienne told him. 

"Hush! hide that revolver lest they should 
return and see you," he advised her. 

"But they have been driven away," the o-irl 
answered. "They cannot return." 



72 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

"The fighting surges backward and forward," 
said the other. He pointed down the street. 
** Some Boches still lie concealed among these 
houses. They are waiting for a chance to retreat, 
and are sure to come this way." 

Having thus warned the girl he ran back to 
his own house. 

One of Emilienne's patients was calling for 
water, and she hastened to attend to him. An- 
other plucked at a bandage round his head, re- 
peating something over and over again which the 
girl could not understand. But she sprinkled 
water on his face, poured some drops into his 
mouth, and was comforted to find that he 
quietened down, having obtained some relief from 
his sufferings. 

While thus engaged, she heard once again the 
sound of German voices in the street. Rising 
quickly, she went towards a shattered window 
and peered cautiously in the direction from which 
the voices seemed to come. 

In the dim light she caught sight of four 
Germans coming out of a house where, as she 
learned afterwards, they had killed and robbed 
the wounded. They made signals to others she 
could not see. A cold shiver ran through her 
body. She glanced round the room at the help- 
less men who were under her care. The High- 
lander with the bandage round his head was 
shouting somebody's name, like a child calling 
for his mother. He was delirious and in oain. 




MLLK EMILIKNNE MOREAU 

"J'he Lady of Loos. " 



THE LADY OF LOOS 73 

The wounded officer seemed to be asleep. There 
was no one to give her aid if the enemy should 
come. 

Nearer and nearer came the sound of German 
voices. She glanced at the revolver, and then 
crept behind a chair. Kneeling down, she leaned 
her elbow on the seat and held her revolver 
towards the doorway. Stealthy footsteps sounded 
from outside. Someone was approaching her 
house. A prayer rose from her lips. Then she 
heard the welcome sound of rifle fire at the end 
of the street. Bullets whizzed past the window 
and smacked the stones like great hailstones. 
The prowling Boches had been observed and 
were being fired at. Then she heard hurried 
footsteps outside, and a German soldier flung 
the door open. She raised her revolver, and as 
a dim form entered the room she fired. The 
man fell and cried out with surprise and pain. 
A voice answered his and another entered. Again 
Emilienne fired, and the second German fell over 
the body of the first, while a third turned back 
and ran into the street, shouting a warning to 
his fellows. 

For a few seconds the rifle firing slackened. 
Emilienne was uncertain whether the Germans 
had been driven back, or had overcome those 
who had attacked them. She remained kneeling 
behind the chair. 

The room was dim with smoke. It seemed 
to grow darker. Then a cry from one of her 

(0 903) 6 



74 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

wounded patients made her look round. A Ger- 
man had appeared at the back window of the small 
room. He leapt up on the sill to force his way 
in. A sudden faintness seized her, but she 
struggled against it, and darting towards the 
window fired again, and the German soldier 
tumbled back in a heap. 

A single cartridge remained in the revolver. 
The next shot would have to be the last! 

Emilienne drew a deep breath and waited, 
listening intently. The soldiers had ceased to 
moan, the wounded officer had been awakened 
by the sound of the revolver, and was leaning 
on his elbow, whispering something she could 
not understand. 

Then the shouts of British soldiers broke on 
her ears. Londoners and Highlanders charging 
side by side came running down the street, sweep- 
ing; the last remnants of Germans before them. 
They were opposed for a brief space by a fitful 
fire. But at length, one after another, the 
skulking^ Boches raised cries of " Kamerad! 
Kamerad!" 

The battle for possession of the village was 
over and won. Emilienne dropped the revolver, 
and running to a window, called for help. Three 
British soldiers heard her, and at once entered 
the house, leaping over the bodies of the dead 
Germans. One could speak French, and was 
told by Emilienne what had happened. She 
pointed to the prostrate bodies at the doorway 



THE LADY OF LOOS 75 

« 

" They were coming to kill the wounded," she 
said. 

It was almost dark, and she took down a lamp 
and lit it with trembling- fingers. 

A British officer entered, and was told in a 
few words what had happened. " This brave 
girl," said a sergeant, "fought here alone against 
the enemy to defend our wounded men." 

The officer bowed. " Your country may well 
be proud of you," he said simply, and shook 
hands with her. 

A group of British soldiers had gathered in the 
street, and when the war-stained heroes learned 
what Mile Moreau had done, they raised a cheer, 
hailing her as "The Lady of Loos". And as 
"The Lady of Loos" she will always be known. 

The story of Emilienne's brave stand against 
the Germans sent a thrill through France when 
it was related in the newspapers, and she was 
compared by more than one writer to Joan of 
Arc herself A few weeks later she was publicly 
decorated at Versailles by General de Sailly, who, 
when he had related in dignified terms what she 
had done, declared proudly: "You do honour to 
the women of France". 

"Vive la Emilienne Moreau! Vive la France!" 
shouted the assembled soldiers and spectators. 

Pale and agitated the comely French girl, who 
was attired in deep mourning for near relatives 
fallen in battle, bowed to the General and to the 
crowd that cheered her. And everyone who 



76 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

gazed on the slim, small woman wondered at her 
courage and daring on that memorable day when 
she baffled and drove back the cowardly Boches, 
who had sought to rob and murder wounded and 
helpless soldiers. She was a heroine indeed, and 
France was proud of her. 

"Vive la Emilienne Moreau!" they shouted. 
"Vive la France!" 



A GREAT MODERN BATTLE 

The battle of Messines, on 7th June, 191 7, was 
one of the greatest battles in modern times. It 
was fought for possession of the ridge of Messines 
and to drive back the bulging German line be- 
tween that point and Ypres, so as to change 
the military situation in Flanders and northern 
France in favour of the British. 

For nearly three years the Germans had held 
the Messines Ridge, which they had strongly 
fortified. It was riddled with trenches, protected 
by masses of barbed wire, and intersected by deep 
and long tunnels and great dug-outs lined with 
concrete. Earthen forts bristled with field- and 
machine-guns well concealed and shielded against 
shell fire. Strong forces of Germans occupied 
the ridge and the positions around it, and a net- 
work of railways had been constructed to rush up 
reinforcements when required. 

Before this ridge could be attacked with any 

hope of success, great preparations had to be 

made. Nor could they be made unknown to the 

enemy, for the ridge commands a wide view of 

the surrounding country. As soon as our artillery 

and troops were being massed for attack, the 

77 



78 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Germans took warning and collected strong forces 
to defend their positions, and make it impossible, 
as they believed, for our men to attack with 
success. 

Success was assured to the side which had the 
best system of organization and the most valiant 
troops. As it happened, the superiority of the 
British was proved in every respect. 

The British preparations for the battle were of 
a very thorough character. At some distance 
behind the lines, for instance, a great open-air 
model of the battle ground was constructed with 
care and exactness. It was shaped something 
in the same manner as children shape sand 
models of fields and castles when on holiday at 
the seaside. With the aid of maps and of photo- 
graphs taken by our airman, every natural feature 
was produced on exact scale, trenches and dug- 
outs were marked, as were also mounds, trees, 
buildings, streams, and canals. On this wonder- 
ful contour map the intended attack was carefully 
planned and rehearsed, so that the most minute 
instructions could be given to officers and men. 
No one was left in doubt as to what he was ex- 
pected to do when the time came to attack the 
enemy. 

Among the preparations for the great battle 
there was one element of surprise of which the 
enemy could obtain little knowledge. For about 
twelve months great forces of engineers and 
miners, including Australians and New Zea- 



A GREAT iVlODERN BATTLE 79 

landers, had been employed driving tunnels below 
the German positions. This work was carried 
on constantly until the tunnels were so deep and 
so long that they could have concealed several 
thousand men. But they were not meant to 
serve as hiding-places, except for the miners 
when at work. " Millions of tons of earth were 
excavated," says a French writer, "and ;^8o,ooo 
worth of timber was used to stay up the galleries." 
When the time came to make use of these under- 
ground chambers they were packed, at vital points 
beneath the German defences, with hundreds of 
tons of explosives. In all, nineteen great mines 
were laid. These were packed up with earth and 
boulders, and connected by electric wires with 
switchboards from which they could be exploded 
by touching buttons. 

A complete programme of the battle had been 
drawn up. The time was fixed for exploding the 
mines, for opening the attacks by infantry, and 
even for reaching certain points of the enemy's 
position. Victory was organized in a most com- 
plete and wonderful manner. 

Numerous guns of all calibres were collected 
on the British front. These were arranged so as 
to open fire not only on the positions to be 
attacked, but also on either flank and behind 
them. By thus organizing the artillery fire, a 
ring of flame was to be drawn round the enemy, 
so as to prevent supplies and reinforcements being 
brought up. 



8o FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

When the massed British artillery opened fire 
"at full blast ", the German positions from a point 
north of Ypres to a point south of Messines were 
hammered day and night for a full week by high- 
explosive shells and shrapnel. Trenches were 
wiped out, dug-outs blown up, earthen forts de- 
stroyed, and acres of barbed wire torn to small 
fragments. The Germans suffered heavily, and 
many had to crouch in their underground cham- 
bers while the shells rained down with constant 
shriek and roar. Food and water ran short be- 
cause of the barrage that cut off the communica- 
tions. Transport men and reserves were killed 
in hundreds as they entered the zone of fire and 
tried to press through it. 

The attack by infantry was planned to take 
place early on Thursday morning. First of all, 
the mines were exploded. The electric buttons 
were touched about three o'clock just as dawn 
began to break, while the guns were bellowing 
and blazing fiercely, and countless shells screamed 
throuorh the air to burst within the German 
lines. Then an awe-inspiring spectacle was seen. 
The nineteen mine chambers under the fortified 
ridge exploded with a dull and terrible roar. 
Vast tongues of flame leapt high in the subdued 
moonlight through dense volumes of smoke and 
debris. It seemed as if the hill had yawned like 
a gigantic dragon to swallow men, guns, trees, 
and houses, or as if nineteen new volcanoes had 
suddenly broken out in fiery fury to devastate 



A GREAT MODERN BATTLE 8i 

the countryside. Cemented fortresses, heavily 
armed, which had been carefully constructed by 
the enemy, were shattered and buried; shells ex- 
ploded in magazines; guns were tossed about like 
twigs; concealed chambers were split open and 
swept by flame; thousands of the enemy were 
killed, wounded, stunned, dazed, and terrorized. 

The explosions resounded far and near. Mr. 
Lloyd George, the Prime Minister, heard them on 
Walton Heath, near London. Confusion spread 
through the enemy lines as the earth for miles 
round was shaken as if by an earthquake. Those 
who ran out to gaze towards the ridge while yet 
the roar of the exploded mines rumbled through 
the air saw great pillars of smoke and dust drift- 
ing against the sky, which was still illumined by 
a crimson haze. The sight was at once beautiful 
and terrible. And the g-uns never ceased to 
bellow. A tornado of shells lashed the enemy's 
ground during and after the explosions, and 
overhead, above the curtain of shells, flocks of 
British airmen moved hither and thither like 
swallows in active flight. 

The last stars faded as morning dawned on the 
scene. Then through the mist and smoke the 
British infantry went forward to attack. German 
rockets, red and green and white, had been sent 
up. These were signals of distress and warning, 
appeals for help by the defenders of shattered 
positions. But the British barrage made it diffi- 
cult for the Germans to send forward reinforce- 



82 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

ments. A curtain of shells cut off the defenders 
behind, and another curtain travelled in front of 
the attackers, while the positions between were 
heavily hammered by high explosives. 

The whole of the Messines Ridge was carried 
ere the sun had risen high in the heavens. Mazes 
of barbed wire had vanished, strong redoubts had 
become heaps of debris, gaps yawned where 
there had been impregnable forts, and our men, 
although stoutly resisted, were able to surround 
isolated strongholds and capture them after vigor- 
ous attacks. Hundreds of the enemy showed no 
desire to fight as the British infantrymen dashed 
towards them. They abandoned their machine- 
guns, crowded out of dug-outs, threw down their 
weapons, and, holding up their hands, shouted, 
" Kamerad! Kamerad!" Strings of prisoners 
soon began to pour into the British lines. Many 
were dazed as a result of the explosions and the 
long bombardment, and those who could relate 
their experiences said they were surprised to be 
still alive, and glad to be out of the inferno they 
had had to endure for a week. 

The first -line defences had been captured in 
a few minutes, and our troops, scarcely pausing, 
swept forward to the summit of the ridge. In 
vain the German artillery tried to beat back the 
waves of attackers. After three hours' hard 
fighting the whole crest line from north to south 
was in our hands. Soon afterwards Messines 
was captured at a rush, and before twelve o'clock 



A GREAT MODERN BATTLE 83 

Wytschaete village fell into our hands. During 
the afternoon the advance in this quarter was 
pushed forward until the whole trench system in 
the rear was wrested from the enemy. 

North of the ridge the fighting was equally 
hard and determined and equally successful. The 
British advanced everywhere until the G-shaped 
German line was flattened out like the letter I. 
The British plan was then completed "according 
to time table ". When darkness fell, our men 
had done all they had been asked to do, and the 
new British line had been "organized and se- 
cured". All resistance was overcome. "The 
British", declared a French writer, "have given 
fresh proof that the Germans are not fit to resist 
them." 

The British airmen did splendid work during 
the battle. They went out in squadrons — some 
to spy on the enemy positions and locate the 
batteries, some to drive back the German flyers, 
and others to harass the movements of troops. 
Never before had they displayed greater daring. 
They swept the air clear of German machines so 
as to allow our scouts a free hand in dealinof with 
the enemy batteries, the positions of which were 
signalled to our gunners. During the battle, over 
seventy German batteries located by the airmen 
were silenced by the British artillery. 

Having fought a number of duels with success, 
some of our daring flyers attacked German troops 
behind the lines while they were being marched 



84 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

forward to reinforce the defenders. One airman 
flew so low that he used his machine-gun to 
scatter half a battalion. Another attacked a 
motor-car, the driver of which became so excited 
that he drove the car against a bank and upset 
it, killing or injuring the occupants, who were 
all officers. A third chased a train and bombed 
it, causing it to leave the rails. 

Daring attacks were made upon enemy aero- 
dromes. A young flyer who began to drop 
bombs on one of these was harassed by the fire 
of two anti-aircraft guns. Instead of soaring 
beyond range to escape the bursting shrapnel, 
he made a bold dive and came down low enough 
to turn his machine-gun on the Germans, who 
were forced to scamper away and take cover. 
Then he returned to the aerodrome, and wrecked 
it with bombs. Many feats of this kind w^ere 
performed. 

Of acts of personal courage there are many 
recorded. For instance, it is told of a York- 
shireman who, on the night before the battle, 
was ordered to the rear because he was suffer- 
ing from an injury to one of his feet. He 
managed, however, to remain among his com- 
rades, and when the attack took place went 
forward with the rest. The officer who had 
ordered him to the rear was surprised when he 
found him in a strong enemy redoubt which he 
had helped to capture. He was wearing a 
slipper on his injured foot. "Is this the road 



A GREAT MODERN BATTLE 85 

to the dressing-station?" the officer asked with 
a smile. 

Similarly, a wounded Australian, who had a 
temporary dressing on his right arm, failed to 
go to the rear, and took part in the attack on 
Hill 60. When the summit was taken, he was 
there to help hoist the flag, which fluttered 
bravely over a great crater blown open by one of 
the mines, 

A New Zealander took captive a dozen Ger- 
mans who were concealed in an earthwork and 
had been using a machine-gun. With a bomb 
in his right hand he called upon them to sur- 
render, which they all did. 

Englishmen, Irishmen, Scotsmen, Australians, 
and New Zealanders fought with peerless gal- 
lantry and daring, and proved themselves, man 
to man, greatly superior to the enemy. 

Desperate fighting took place in the wooded 
country on the British left to the south of Ypres, 
when English regiments were confronted by 
Prussians in strong force. A fierce bayonet 
attack was delivered in a shell -splintered wood. 
The Prussians set up a stubborn resistance, but 
were driven back from their strong positions with 
heavy losses. A large number of prisoners were 
taken. 

The Australians and New Zealanders, on the 
right wing, went forward with superb dash and 
bravery to capture the part of Messines Ridge in 
front of them. It was a hot, dusty day, and the 



86 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

air was made more oppressive by fumes from 
German gas shells which were rained on the 
rough slopes. Position after position was carried 
until the crest was reached. The ruins of Mes- 
sines were quickly surrounded and taken by the 
New Zealanders, while the Victorians and Tas- 
manians pressed forward on their right, capturing 
many prisoners in their irresistible advance. 

The Irish reg-iments also carried all before 
them, Nationalists and Ulstermen fighting side 
by side in friendly rivalry against the common 
enemy and displaying great courage and deter- 
mination. They swept through a wood in which 
they had to face heavy machine-gun fire from 
a strong German position; they rushed and 
captured the earthwork, and, climbing the ridge, 
took Wytschaete village, bristling with machine- 
gun emplacements. The taking of Wytschaete, 
which the Irishmen called " Whitesheet", was 
one of the notable incidents of the battle. It 
was a vital part of the defences of the enemy 
position. 

The "tanks" were in action and did splendid 
work. A new and improved type of these modern 
engines of war, more powerful and more speedy 
than the type first used in the Somme valley, 
created terror in the enemy ranks. One of the 
tanks which captured a strong position took also 
a large haul of prisoners. 

The clever grouping of the British guns has 
drawn praise even from the enemy. Not only 



A GREAT MODERN BATTLE 87 

were our infantry protected and the German 
defenders hammered severely, but counter-attacks 
were rendered impossible. Indeed, only one 
counter-attack was attempted, and it was broken 
and beaten back by shells and machine-gun fire. 
Evidently the enemy had been disorganized as 
well as defeated, for on the occasion when Bulle- 
court was captured during the Arras battle there 
were no fewer than twenty counter-attacks. At 
Messines, on the other hand, our men, protected 
so well by the matchless British artillery, were 
enabled to organize and consolidate the captured 
positions, and even to make minor advances to 
render more secure their hold on the orreat ridg^e. 
The German casualties were heavy, over 6000 
were taken prisoners; our losses were compara- 
tively slight. 

In a message to General Plumer, who was in 
charge of the operations. Sir Douglas Haig con- 
gratulated him on the complete success attained, 
and said that the Messines battle afforded final 
and conclusive proof that neither strength of 
position nor timely preparation to meet the im- 
pending assault could save the enemy from defeat. 
The success. Sir Douglas added, "has brought 
us a long step nearer to the final victorious end 
of the war". 

M. Painlev^ the French Minister for War, 
telegraphed to Lord Derby, the British War 
Secretary : — 

" The French Army acclaims with joy the fine victory gained 



88 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

by the British Army. It begs you to address its warm con- 
gratulations to Marshal Haig, General Plumer, and the valorous 
troops who have broken in a masterly manner one of the 
strongest organizations of the common enemy. I am glad of 
this opportunity which is given me to renew to you the assur- 
ance of my very affectionately devoted sentiment." 



THE BOY WHO FILLED 
THE WATER-BOTTLES 

A London boy, named John Bradbury, enlisted 
when he was only fourteen, and served in the 
Gloucestershire Regiment for about a year. On 
being invalided home he was claimed by his 
father, because he was under military age, and 
the authorities discharged him. 

John landed with the Gloucesters at Suvla Bay 
on the Gallipoli Peninsula, and saw a good deal 
of fighting. After they had pressed inland and 
dug themselves in, the Gloucesters, like others, 
suffered from the want of water. A hot sun 
burned overhead, and the men's tongues and 
throats were parched with thirst. 

" This is a dry spot, I tell you," exclaimed a 
corporal. 

" Oh, what would I not give for a little drop of 
water!" another siohed. 

The Turks were fighting with great determina- 
tion, having been reinforced heavily after the first 
surprise attack following the landing. 

"There is a well below these trees out there," 
someone said. " I had a drink out of it last 

( 902 ) 89 7 



go FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

night before we fell back." He pointed to a 
little clump of trees that covered a mound in 
what was now " No- Man's- Land". 

" It's a wonder if some Turkish snipers are not 
there by this time," suggested the corporal. 

"When night comes I'm going out for water," 
a big soldier declared. " I'll risk the snipers." 

" I feel as if I could go now," sighed a com- 
panion. " Oh for a litde drop of cool well 
water!" 

"Stop that!" the other growled; "you'll make 
me drier than ever if you talk about your cool 
well water. Pah!" 

He bent over his rifle and blazed away at the 
Turkish lines. 

" Please, sir, let me go out for water," a young- 
voice was heard saying. 

Men glanced round with surprise. Who was 
it that dared to cross the bullet-swept space be- 
tween the opposing trenches? 

" It's that kid, Johnnie," someone said. 

" Stay where you are, youngster," a bearded 
Gloucester advised him. " You'll get bowled 
over if you try any of your tricks here." 

Bradbury and another boy soldier, however, 
were determined to take any risk in procuring 
water. They seemed not to know what fear was, 
and suffered from thirst like their elders. 

"Don't hurry; take care of yourselves," the 
corporal, who had given his consent, advised the 
lads. " Take all the cover you can." 



THE WATER-BOTTLES 91 

The boys began to collect the soldiers empty- 
water - bottles. From everyone they received 
advice. " Creep through the long grass like a 
snake. . . . Wriggle along on your stomach ; don't 
crawl even. . . . Get in behind the bushes; don't 
take a bee-line, and rest often. . . . There's no 
hurry; take your time; don't let Johnnie Turk 
catch sight of you. ... If you see a sniper among 
the trees, lie low until it is dark. . . ." So did 
man after man counsel the boys to be wary. 
None of them liked the idea of the youngsters 
runnine such terrible risks even for the sake of 
procuring the water which was so badly needed. 

The boys, loaded with water- botdes, which 
were strung round their shoulders, crept out of 
the trench and entered the long grass. Bullets 
whizzed through the air like bees in flight, or 
struck the earth with a sharp short "ping". The 
men in the trenches watched the youngsters until 
they were out of sight. Then they followed their 
movements by the swaying of the long grass 
through which they were creeping. 

" Are they getting along all right?" the soldiers 
asked one another from time to time. 

" Yes, there they go!" one would say. 

"That's Bradbury behind a bush out there," a 
Gloucester would exclaim suddenly. " He's more 
than half-way already." 

" Yes, he's a bit daring, he is," someone would 
remark later. " He'd better — oh! he's down." 

'T don't think he was struck that time," another 



92 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

would be heard saying. " No, he's all right; he s 
o-oinor on ao^ain." 

The boys vanished entirely after a time. Not 
even their movements could be traced, for a slight 
wind had sprung up and set all the grass and 
bushes in motion. 

An hour went past, and still there was no sign 
of the boys. The soldiers grew anxious about 
them, and some began to blame themselves for 
allowing them to go out. 

*' When night comes," one said, " I'll search for 
them. No doubt they've been bowled over." 

" There's always the chance that they have 
been only wounded," another remarked to re- 
assure his companions. 

It seemed a case of hoping against hope. 
"Poor kiddies! it's all up with them, I'm afraid," 
sighed the bearded soldier who had children of 
his own at home. 

Then someone exclaimed excitedly, " Look! 
look! isn't that one of the boys?" 

He pointed towards a little figure which came 
past a clump of undergrowth and then vanished 
in the long grass. 

" It's Bradbury, I'm sure," another said, and 
whistled through his finoers. " He seems to be 
going the wrong way." 

" Not he. He's taking cover; he's That's 

him right enough." 

Bradbury had thrust his head through the 
grass, looking towards the Gloucesters in their 



THE WATER-BOTTLES 93 

trench. The soldier who had whistled to him 
already whistled once again, and the boy made a 
sign to indicate that all was well with him. Then 
he vanished aoain in the orass. 

Several tense moments of waiting went past. 
Then Bradbury crawled out of the scrub, cleared 
a few bare yards in a short run, and dropped 
safely into the trench. 

"Good, boy!" shouted the man who caught 
him in his arms; "what luck?" 

" Plenty of water," gasped the boy, who had 
filled no fewer than twenty-four bottles. " They 
felt heavy," he declared, "and thumped me on 
the back all the way in." 

" Have the first drink yourself," the soldier 
suggested. 

" I had a long swig at the well," laughed the 
boy. "I'm all right. The water is as cool as ice." 

The men received the bottles gratefully. Never 
did water taste cooler or sweeter. 

" Where's your friend?" Bradbury was asked. 

" I've missed him. He never reached the 
well," was his answer. 

Not until darkness was falling did the missing 
boy return. He came crawling slowly towards 
the trench, having been wounded, although not 
seriously, by a dropping bullet. 

That night several men went out to the well and 
carried in more bottles of water, which served the 
Gloucesters until a plentiful supply was conveyed 
to them from the shore. 



TANKS IN ACTION 

Of all the engines of war ever invented the 
"tanks " are the oddest and most original. Some 
have called them "land ships" and "land Dread- 
noughts ", for, like war vessels, they are heavily 
armoured, and plunge and swing as they make 
their way over "earth billows" and "earth 
troughs" shaped by high -explosive shells from 
the enemies' guns. Others have compared them 
to sea-elephants that go wobbling and crawling 
clumsily over a rocky beach. They are comical 
to see, but not to the enemy, against whom they 
move like the fiery dragons of the old stories, 
spitting fire and crashing" through strong fortifica- 
tions. 

None was more amused and astonished with the 
performances of the tanks than were the French 
officers who saw them at practice shortly before 
they appeared on the battle-fields of the Somme 
valley. They chatted merrily, with many a happy 
jest, as they examined these strange war monsters. 
Then a general said: "Well, what are they good 
for?" "You will soon see," smiled a British officer. 
The place selected for the trial display was an 
old battle-field. Lines of trenches criss-crossed it; 



TANKS IN ACTION 95 

there were several deep and rugged shell craters 
with muddy bottoms, stretches of breastworks 
formed by sand-bags, confused masses of barbed 
wire, ruins of houses, and a few solitary trees. 

"Go straioht ahead!" ordered a British officer, 
addressing the commander of the first tank. 

The "crew" crept inside through low and 
narrow steel doors, and then the tank began to 
move forward, the endless chain crunching- and 
clattering heavily, and leaving a deep trail on the 
ground like a steam road-roller. It crept over 
boulders, cracking some as easily as if they had 
been chestnuts, pressing- others deep into the 
ground, plunged into shell-holes with its gun- 
turrets rattling and swinging, surged through 
mud and water, till eventually it climbed out on 
the other side dripping with slime, and holding- 
its snout high in the air. The French officers 
laughed. It seemed to them as if they were 
gazing at a live monster, "a sort of elephant- 
tortoise ", as one of them put it, which had come 
floundering out of the depths of the earth. Then 
their eyes grew wide with surprise as they saw 
the tank charging a great tangled mass of 
barbed wire, and flattening it out as if it had been 
a haystack. Behind the wire was a high parapet 
of sand-baofs. For a moment the tank seemed to 
pause, wriggling and wobbling as if getting ready 
for a task requiring special skill. On it went with 
a slouch, throwing its weight against the breast- 
work. Sand-bags were tossed away from either 



96 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

side of it as it climbed slowly over the obstruc- 
tion, rearincr its snout in the air until it seemed 
to lean on its tail like a kangaroo. Snorting and 
clanging it went right over, and gradually righted 
itself. A broad trench yawned behind the breast- 
work, and the officers saw the tank's guns bristling 
from its sides to spit shells at the defenders. 
With a proud toss of its head it stretched itself 
right across the trench, and rumbled on to the 
opposite side, tilting itself up like a rabbit running 
into its hole. 

The Frenchmen cheered and then laughed 
aloud. It was all so wonderful and quaint. But 
the tank was not yet done. On and on it crawled, 
and, before it reached level ground, crashed right 
through a brick wall which tumbled down before 
it. The bricks were ground to powder beneath 
its broad thick chain. It seemed to devour the 
bricks, chewing them as a donkey chews thistles. 
Then it had quite a scamper over a corner of 
green field, and, leaping a ditch, went straight 
ahead towards a tree. 

" Stop, stop!" cried a Frenchman. He thought 
the tree would crash down on the tank and do it 
some injury. 

" Now you shall see something," a British 
officer said. 

The tank struck the tree fairly and squarely, 
broke it in two as easily as one breaks a match 
between one's fingers, and then rolled right over 
it. 



TANKS IN ACTION 97 

The French officers could not longer suppress 
their enthusiasm. Some took off their helmets 
and cheered, others ran after the tank, shouting 
with delight and surprise. 

When the land Dreadnought slowed up and 
came to a stop, its crew leapt out to find them- 
selves famous. 

" Yonder are the Boches," cried one French- 
man. "Go and eat them up!" 

But if the Frenchmen were surprised, the Ger- 
mans were even more so when they first saw the 
strange war-engines advancing against them in 
the Somme valley. They were quite close at 
hand before the enemy were aware of their exis- 
tence, for they were painted in different colours 
so as to blend with the landscape. At one point 
a tank thrust its snout right into a German trench, 
and its guns opened fire, mowing down the enemy 
as if it were a scythe mowing grass. Then, with 
a lurch, it crossed over and flattened out a 
machine-gun emplacement. Reinforcements were 
hurried up to attack this great and clumsy-looking 
armoured car. About 200 men opened fire at it, 
but the bullets spattered on the armour-plates as 
harmlessly as hailstones on a window pane. Hand 
bombs were thrown, but they made no more im- 
pression than do pebbles thrown at a tortoise. 
The Germans swarmed round the car, some even 
climbed on to it from behind. Then the machine- 
guns within opened fire, and the enemy were laid 
low, scattered and put to flight. Panic spread 



gS FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

through the trenches, and before the Germans 
rould be ralHed, a wave of British soldiers swept 
forward and captured a long line of trenches. The 
tank never rested. It flattened out stretches of 
barbed wire, wrecked sand - bag emplacements, 
silenced machine-guns, poured shells up and down 
trenches, and then swung round and moved ahead 
again towards a farm-house which had been con- 
verted into a fort. It struck the gable a resound- 
ing blow, and leaning heavily against it, brought 
it down with a crash. Another lurch was followed 
by the collapse of a part of the front wall and 
the fall of the roof Germans scampered from 
the ruins holding up their hands to some British 
infantrymen who were coming up. The tank 
then moved against another strong-hold. It was 
"having a very busy day", as a cheerful Tommy 
put it. 

A member of the crew of one famous tank, 
which has done a great deal of fighting, says that 
when his landship is moving over rough ground, 
it dives and rolls like a fishing boat in stormy 
weather. Some of the crew even suffer at times 
from attacks of a trouble very like sea-sickness. 
Asked what it feels like to go against the enemy's 
trenches, he said: "One cannot help being a little 
excited. As the 'good ship' rumbles and tumbles 
and rolls on its way you hear the bullets clattering 
on the armour-plate like hailstones on a hut roof 
of corrugated iron. Sometimes a bomb bursts 
near a ' port-hole ' and fills the tank with smoke 



TANKS IN ACTION 99 

and fumes. As the air inside is always hot and 
stifling you can understand what this means. One 
day a number of Germans came against us, wath 
the purpose, as we learned later, of capturing our 
tank. Two or three climbed on to the roof They 
were searching for a 'port -hole' through which 
they could shoot us, but they were soon disposed 
of A member of the crew had only to open litde 
trap-doors and fire his revolver. As he did so, 
you heard the attackers sliding down like loose 
slates from a roof The Germans soon gave up 
that game. 

" One or two bombs were thrown, and a few 
splinters entered at a gun-hole. But our crew 
were not disturbed. They waited until the at- 
tackers formed a crowd, and then opened fire 
with machine-guns. In a few minutes not a single 
' visitor ' remained beside us. 

" We had no time to count the casualties. A 
big shell-hole gaped before us, and we held on 
to anything we could grip firmly while the ' tank ' 
plunged into it. The air was oppressive by this 
time, being full of the fumes from our engines 
and the smoke from our guns, but it cleared 
somewhat as we climbed out of the hole and 
crept to the top of a breezy hillock. A great 
scratching noise sounded in our ears, while the 
endless wheels went crunch -crunch -crunching 
through a lot of barbed wire. Occasionally a tree 
was struck and splintered like matchwood. 

" A fresh shower of machine-gun bullets caught 



loo FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

us on one side. The ' tank ' swung round and 
faced the storm. It was a hot time while it lasted. 
A crowded trench from which rifle-fire broke out 
had to be passed by, because a machine-gun em- 
placement in front was making it difficult for one 
of the kilted regiments to press forward. We 
wobbled up to it, and did not require to fire a 
single shot. The ' tank ' just crushed it in its 
deadly embrace, as a cobra crushes a bullock. 
Silence followed, and as the ' kilties ' came on we 
Qfave a lurch towards the crowded trench and 
discharo^ed a few rounds. Above the clatter of 
machinery and the rattling of rifle-fire rose the 
screams and shouts of the trapped enemy. When 
we heard cries of ' Kamerad! Kamerad!' we knew 
ere we could catch a glimpse of them that the 
' kilties ' had arrived. 

" The main resistance of the enemy was broken, 
but small parties still remained to be cleared out. 
As we went snufflino' and snortino" from corner 
to corner a sudden burst of fire broke upon us. 
A machine-gun was rattling somewhere near, and 
men were throwing bombs. A big high-explosive 
bomb burst close to a port-hole, but no serious 
damage was done. A splinter tore open a shallow 
wound on my left arm. It seemed as if a red-hot 
wire had been drawn across it. One of our big 
guns ' spoke ' an instant later, and the enemy's 
attack came to an end. 

" A little scamper round about followed. Then 
we found that our task had come to an end for 



TANKS IN ACTION loi 

the time being, so we took shelter in a little wood 
before the Germans began to search the cap- 
tured position with their big shells. We were 
glad to have a chance of resting and of coming 
out of our noisy landship to breathe fresh air 
in the open. As I sat down to munch my midday 
meal of bread and bully beef I heard a linnet 
sino-ingf in the wood. I thought I had never 
listened to sweeter music in my life. On that 
battle-field the sun was shining and the air was 
sweet, and I thought it glorious to be alive." 

At the battles of Arras and Messines the tanks 
did great service. When the Australians, after 
rushing over and beyond Messines Ridge, were 
held up by a force of Germans in an earthwork 
which was surrounded by great coils of barbed 
wire, a tank officer cried out: " I'll make a road 
for you, boys ". Then he steered his rattling, 
rumbling machine towards the prickly obstacle 
and flattened it out. The Australians rushed 
forward and captured the position. 

The steerinor of a tank is done bv the officer 
in charge, who has also to control the gun-fire. 
His post is a most responsible one. He requires 
initiative so as to deal with whatever problem 
confronts him in the most effective way, and he 
must keep in touch with the infantry advancing 
behind in case he is isolated. The Germans have 
ever been anxious to capture a tank so as to learn 
its secrets, but this they have failed to do. They 
have managed to destroy some by direct shell-fire. 



I02 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

but care has always been taken that no part of 
the mechanism should fall into their hands. 

The crews are composed of highly -trained 
soldiers, specially picked out for the work — men 
of good physique and intelligence who have under- 
gone a special training, and have graduated as 
expert machine-gunners. 



•'BOGIE" RAIDS ON WINTER 
NIGHTS 

When the heavy snowfalls of February had 
whitened the Western Front, hiding the rugged 
shell-furrows and shell-craters, and making- all the 
land look peaceful and fair, the fighting men had 
to keep well within cover of their trenches, for 
the khaki uniforms of the British and the blue- 
grey uniforms of the Germans looked quite dark 
against the background of shining snow. Sur- 
prise attacks could no longer be made during 
daytime. Even at night, when there was no 
moon, sentries could detect any movement of 
men across No-Man's-Land. 

It looked as if hand-to-hand fighting would 
have to cease until the thaw came. Then the 
Germans tried a ruse which they had already 
practised against the Russians on the Eastern 
Front. Parties of their men were clad in long 
white smocks and sent out to raid the British 
trenches under cover of darkness. But our gallant 
soldiers were not to be caught napping. One 
night the " listening posts " crept in to give the 
alarm that an attack was being prepared. Lying 
half-buried in snow, thev had heard shouts of 



I04 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

command and the clattering of weapons, as the 
excited Germans made ready to leave their 
trenches. One man had even caught glimpses of 
enemy officers in their white overalls, " It looks 
as if they are to play at ghosts to-night," whis- 
pered one of our men as he crept back to the 
supports. 

Word was passed along the British lines to 
make ready and keep perfect silence. A long 
pause followed, everyone listening intently. Then 
suddenly the German artillery opened fire and 
began to pound our trenches with shell. Soon 
afterwards a barrage of shell was poured behind 
the first line to prevent reinforcemenis being 
brought up through the communication trenches. 

Ere long the raiding parties of ghostly Ger- 
mans came in sight. They had crept up fairly 
close to our trenches, and looked like groups of 
restless ghosts in the dim starlight. " Don't fire 
until you get the word," was the command passed 
along the British lines. 

Nearer and nearer came the white-clad enemy. 
Apparently they thought their trick would prove 
quite successful. Then a fusillade of rifle and 
machine-gun fire burst forth from the British 
trenches, and the ghostly raiders were scattered 
like chafT before the wind. Some fell a few 
yards distant from the barbed wire, others were 
laid low half-way across No- Man's- Land. Those 
who were not caught in the sudden storm of 
bullets turned and fled in confusion. In the waste 




< s 



RAIDS ON WINTER NIGHTS 105 

of snow their white smocks made it possible for 
them to escape the keenest -eyed snipers. The 
attack of the German ghosts was an utter failure. 
As our men put it: "They bungled the thing 
before it had right begun". 

" I had been snoozing in my dug-out," an 
officer tells, "when I got the alarm. Our men 
seemed quite pleased at the prospect of a scrim- 
mage with what they called 'the German bogies'. 
' Here they are!' someone whispered as the raiders 
came on. I peered out, and all I could see was 
some dark things that looked like dogs; these 
were the heads, arms, and legs of the Germans; 
the white smocks having made the rest of their 
bodies invisible. I thought of the song: 'Hush! 
hush! here comes the bogie man!' as we waited 
them without firingf a singrle round until the 
enemy came quite near. Then our men let them 
have it. So hot was our fire that the 'bogies' 
fled pell-mell, screaming and wailing. You could 
hear their cries even after they had vanished and 
our men had ceased to fire, seeing nothing to fire 
at. Instead of scaring us, the German 'bogies' 
were greatly scared themselves." 

The British soldiers were anxious to beat the 
Germans at their own game, and it was not long 
before they had a chance of doing so. One 
famous night-attack across the white surface of 
No- Man's- Land was made by the Gordon High- 
landers, who were clad in white overalls and had 
their steel helmets painted white. In high spirits 

( 903 ) 8 



io6 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

the men got ready for the adventure. To hear 
their humorous chaff about playing at "ghosts" 
and " booie men" one migfht have thougfht that 
they did not expect to run risks, and were only 
going out for a night's fun, like masqueraders at 
Hallowe'en in their homeland. Not a few of 
them had in their boyhood dressed up and 
smeared their faces with white powder or char- 
coal to play pranks in their native villages during 
the festive season, and the idea of having a little 
fun of a similar kind when attacking the Germans 
tickled them greatly. 

The night chosen was suitable for the attempt. 
No- Man's- Land was covered with freshly-fallen 
snow, and although a bright moon raced through 
wisps of cloud and lit up the whole landscape, a 
thin low fog drifted over the ground like smoke 
from burning grass. 

The word of command was passed along the 
line to advance stealthily and silently, taking 
advantage of the cover obtained in the rough, 
shell-pitted waste of No- Man's- Land. 

" Go canny," the men whispered one to another; 
'don't smoke, don't speak, don't cough, don't 
sneeze even." 

" How can I help sneezing if a sneeze comes 
on?" growled a big Kiltie. 

" Stuff snow in your mouth and freeze the 
sneeze," another answered with a chuckle. 

At length the order came to leave the trenches 
and advance. "Good-bye, bogie!" "Good-bye, 



RAIDS ON WINTER NIGHTS 107 

Mr. Ghost!" whispered the khaki-clad men who 
were left behind, as the attackers ventured forth 
in what some of them called their "nightdresses". 

Bayonets smeared with mud to prevent their 
flashing in the moonlight were fixed before leaving 
the trenches. The magazines were charged. 

One by one the men went out, creeping over 
the snow. At a few yards' distance they were 
scarcely visible. Each time the moon went 
behind a bit of cloud, men rose up and scampered 
forward with bended backs. Some dropped into 
shell-holes; some threw themselves flat on the 
snow, and, when they had a chance to do so, they 
heaped snow in front of them and over their 
arms, for their overalls had no sleeves. 

Forward they went in short rushes, while the 
German sentries listened intently and peered 
across No- Man's- Land, and their trained dosfs 
sniffed and growled and began to grow restless. 

Then suddenly the British artillery opened fire, 
and shells burst over and behind the German 
trenches. The bombardment was short and sharp, 
and was not confined to the points selected for 
attack by the "bogie" soldiers. It travelled far 
up and down the enemy's line, and gave no indi- 
cation to the Germans as to the exact place where 
an attack was likely to burst upon them. 

Taking advantage of the noise and confusion, 
the ghostly Gordons went forward speedily, the 
shell smoke helping to conceal them until they 
reached the enemy's advance posts, which were 



io8 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

overcome at a rush. Two separate parties of 
attackers worked round a strong position, which 
was protected by underground chambers in which 
the Germans had concealed themselves from shell- 
fire. Hardly, however, had the last shell burst 
over these deep dug-outs than the enemy found 
that they were being cornered like rats in a trap. 
At each outlet stood groups of Gordons, who 
shouted in their broad dialect to the amazed Ger- 
mans: "Come awa' wi' ye — d'ye hear? Come 
oot at once if ye dinna want to be bombed." 

" Kamerad! Kamerad!" answered German after 
German as he threw up his hands and came out 
as a prisoner. 

At one outlet the Germans prepared to show 
fight. Officers shouted on their men to open fire 
and charge, but a couple of bombs silenced them 
and caused part of the dug-out to fall in, pre- 
venting escape at that quarter. There were, 
however, other outlets connected with the elaborate 
system of underground chambers and passages. 
At one of these the Germans refused to take any 
notice of the offer made to them to yield. They 
evidently wanted the Gordons to come down and 
try to clear them out at the point of the bayonet. 
But the Gordons were taking no risks, and when 
they found the enemy preparing for an under- 
ground battle they opened fire with a few bombs. 
Suddenly the woodwork inside one deep passage 
took fire and blazed furiously. Ere long the 
flames leapt through the layers of logs that formed 



RAIDS ON WINTEk NIGHTS 109 

the roof. A huge flare sprang up and illuminated 
the German works. 

" Here's a sudden thaw!" cried a Gordon as 
the snow melted rapidly and water poured into the 
empty trenches. 

Groups of Germans who had escaped by con- 
cealed outlets opened fire on the attackers, and 
especially on those of them who were seen clearly 
in the flare of the dugr-out roof. Bombs were 
also thrown. But the Gordons fought doggedly 
and gallantly, and after suffering a few casualties 
overcame all opposition. 

One party of the "bogies" would not retreat 
until a dug-out which they had tried to clear was 
entered. Down went the men with a rush and 
carried all before them. One big German, loaded 
with bombs, came forward to meet them, but a 
well-directed bullet laid him low. Then his com- 
rades surrendered. They were taken out speedily, 
and as they were being marched off a few bombs 
were scattered through the dug-out, causing it to 
collapse entirely. 

It was a great night's work. All that the 
Gordons set out to do they accomplished in 
thorough fashion, and the men returned to their 
trenches in high spirits with a goodly batch of 
prisoners, bringing in also all their wounded and 
almost all their dead. 

The humorous side of the adventure appealed 
to them greatly. " I tripped over my ' night- 
dress'", one man told, "just when I had held up 



no FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

three Germans. I was holding a bomb in my 
hand. Although I fell, I managed to keep the 
bomb from striking anything, and so saved my- 
self. The Germans could have bayoneted me, 
but they were too scared to move. They thought 
that I and they would be blown up right away. 
I got up at once, and found them standing with 
arms up and grinning as if I had been giving them 
a display of gymnastics. It was a narrow squeak, 
I tell you." 

" I got my two prisoners easily," another told. 
" They were mere boys, and came forward crying 
'Please, please!' — all the English they knew. 
They can't have been long out of school." 

"The sentry I collared", declared a third, "was 
scared out of his wits. I crawled out of a shell- 
hole and stood up in front of him. He dropped 
his rifle and gave a yell as if he thought I was 
a ghost. 

"'Hullo, Kamerad!' says L But he couldn't 
answer a word. He was dazed with fright." 

"One of the schoolboys, I suppose," suggested 
a friend. 

"Not at all ; he's old enough to be my father. 
I never saw a man so scared in all my life." 

Many attacks of this kind took place before 
the thaw set in and the Germans began to retreat 
towards the east. 



A FRENCH BOY'S SEARCH 
FOR HIDDEN JEWELS 

Guy Cazenove was ten years old when war 
broke out and the Germans began to swarm over 
the French frontier. His father, a cavalry officer, 
had joined his regiment, his mother being dead, 
and he and his litde sister, Eugenie, lived with 
their grandmother, Madame Cazenove, in her 
pretty country chateau, which stands on a wooded 
hillside near Curlu in the Somme valley. 

The village was threatened by the enemy dur- 
ing the early days of the war. Old men and 
women and children stood in groups in the market 
square at all hours, repeating rumours and advis- 
ing one another to prepare to take flight when the 
thunder of the big guns would be heard drawino- 
near. "The Boches will show no mercy," they 
said; "they will shoot young and old, man and 
woman, and plunder and rob and burn." 

Baptiste, Madame Cazenove 's old man-servant, 
was gready concerned about the safety of Guy 
and Eugenie, and advised his mistress to shut up 
the chateau and take refuge in Paris. 

"To hear you speak," said Madame, "one 
would never think you had been a soldier. The 



112 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Boches cannot reach Curlu. Our brave army 
will soon drive them back over the frontier. We 
shall remain here in perfect safety until the war 
is over." 

Ere long, however, she had to change her 
mind. One forenoon Guy came scampering from 
the village to tell that all the people were leaving 
their homes and hastening westward, crying, " The 
Boches are coming, the Boches are coming!" 

He found his orrandmother sitting on the draw- 
ing-room floor sewing the bottom of a green arm- 
chair. "The Boches are coming!" he shouted, 
his eyes sparkling with excitement. 

" I know, I know," his grandmother sighed. 
"We must hasten away at once. Eugenie is 
dressing upstairs." 

"Why are you not getting ready yourself.-*" 
asked the boy. "If you sit there mending the 
old chair, the Boches will come and take you 
away." 

" My dear, I am hiding something," she whis- 
pered — "something very precious. You will 
remember where I have put it." 

" Yes, grandmamma," said Guy. " But what 
is it you are hiding?" 

" Some day I shall tell you," she promised him 
as she rose up and set the chair standing on its 
legs again. " We can't take everything with us. 
There is no time. And it might not be safe to 
take with us what I have hidden." 

Guy had no chance at the time to ask more 



A SEARCH FOR HIDDEN JEWELS 113 

questions. He was dressed hurriedly, while Bap- 
tiste went through the house locking all the doors, 
and putting the keys in his pockets. Then his 
grandmother left the chateau with Guy holding 
one hand and Eugenie the other. Baptiste came 
hobbling behind them. 

"Where is Louise?" asked Guy, looking about 
for the servant girl. 

" She has gone ahead," his grandmother told 
him. " We shall meet her at the station." 

A trap was in waiting for them at the foot of 
the hill, and they were driven along a road 
crowded with refugees who were all hastening 
towards Albert. The horse went very slowly, 
and Baptiste feared they would lose their train. 
But when they reached the station they found 
that they would have to wait a full hour before 
the train could leave. They did not reach Albert 
until after darkness had fallen, and then they set 
out on a long and weary journey to Paris, where 
they put up at a hotel until Baptiste rented a 
furnished flat. 

For a time it seemed as if they could not 
remain long in the great city. The Germans 
were pressing towards it, and Baptiste began to 
urge Madame Cazenove to take refuge in Brittany 
with the children. Then came the battle of the 
Marne, when the Germans were forced to retreat. 

"We are quite safe now," Madame said. "I 
knew I was right when I refused to believe that 
Paris was in danger." 



114 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Baptiste shrugged his shoulders. " Grand- 
mamma is always right!" Guy cried out. "Why 
are you afraid of the Boches, Baptiste? If I were 
a big man like you I'd go and fight them." 

His grandmother took him in her arms and 
kissed him twice. 

"My brave little boy!" she said, "when we 
return to Curlu I shall give you a present for 
saying that." 

The months dragged on, and yet they had to 
remain in Paris. Both Guy and Eugenie were 
delighted with the great city. It was so busy 
and gay compared with the little village in the 
Somme valley, and every day they saw some- 
thing new to interest them. But their grand- 
mother longed to return to her chateau, and she 
was grievously downcast when news reached her 
that it had been occupied by the Germans. 

"What a mess they will have made!" Baptiste 
said. "They will have burst open all the doors. 
No doubt, too, they have stolen everything of 
value." 

"Oh, my green arm-chair!" sighed Madame 
Cazenove. " I wish we had taken it with us." 

"The pictures are of more consequence," 
Baptiste said. 

"But I loved the green arm-chair," cried the 
old lady. " What would I not give to have it 
now?" 

During the winter, Madame took ill and lay 
for many weeks in bed. When she was in 



A SEARCH FOR HIDDEN JEWELS 115 

delirium she kept talking about the green arm- 
chair. 

"What is there about that chair?" the nurse 
asked one morning at breakfast. " Madame is 
always calling out for it." 

" I can't understand," Baptiste said. " She 
spoke about it once or twice before she took 
ill." 

" I know why Grandmamma wants the green 
arm-chair," whispered Guy to Eugenie. 

" Please tell me," his sister pleaded. 

"I mustn't," said the boy; "Grandmamma 
would be angry if I told. Besides, I don't know 
everything about it yet." 

Madame's illness left her very weak, and she 
made a slow recovery. All her old cheerfulness 
had passed away, and she began to fear that she 
would be ruined before the war was over. 

" If I only had the green arm-chair," she said 
to Guy one evening, " I should feel quite happy 
agrain." 

"What did you hide in the chair. Grand- 
mamma?" asked the boy. 

" If I tell you, will you keep it a secret?" 

"Oh, yes! I shall not tell Eugenie even." 

"You promise?" 

"Yes, I promise." 

"Well, 1 shall tell you. Inside the cushion I 
hid a litde ball of wool." 

The boy gazed in his grandmother's face for a 
moment in silence. Then he laughed lighdy. 



ii6 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

"Why do you laugh, dear?" she asked with 
a smile. 

"What is inside the ball of wool?" Guy whis- 
pered, with a sly look on his face. 

"You'll promise to keep my secret?" 

"Yes, Grandmamma." 

"Inside the ball are three diamond rings and 
a ruby ring. They are very valuable, and if I 
had them here I should not be troubled about 
money, for I could sell them." 

"Why did you not take the rings away with 
you.-* 

" Because I feared we might be robbed on the 
journey. No one will ever think of looking for 
rings inside the cushion of an old chair. I am 
sure I hid them in the safest place." 

Guy kissed his grandmother's pale cheeks. He 
was very sorry for her, and wanted to make her 
happy. 

"Grandmamma, will you grow well again if you 
o-et the rin^s?" 

o o 

" Oh yes, my dear. I am sure I shall." 
" I'll go to Curlu and find them for you." 
"That is not possible, my child. The Boches 
would kill you." 

" I heard Baptiste telling Louise before I came 
in here that the Boches have been driven from 
our chateau, and our own soldiers are now pro- 
tecting it." 

"Oh, that is glad news!" cried the old lady. 
" Run for Baptiste and tell him to come here at 



A SEARCH FOR HIDDEN JEWELS 117 

once. But", she added, "do not say anything 
about the rings." 

" I shan't tell anyone," Guy whispered, and ran 
off to call Baptiste. 

The old man-servant was amazed to receive 
orders from his mistress to leave Paris next day 
and travel to Curlu, taking Guy with him. " I 
want you," she said, "to bring back the green 
arm-chair from the chateau." 

"I'm afraid," Baptiste told Louise afterwards, 
" that our mistress has gone quite out of her 
mind. Fancy sending me on such an errand! 
I was afraid to tell her that the chateau is in 
ruins. I hope she won't take ill again when she 
finds that I will not be allowed to go near Curlu 
yet awhile. It's almost within the firing line." 

Next day, however, Baptiste read in the papers 
that the Germans had been driven back several 
miles beyond Curlu. " I shall obtain permission 
for you to visit the chateau," Madame Cazenove 
told him. " So be prepared to leave here at 
a moment's notice." Then she told the man- 
servant about the rings. He held up his hands 
with surprise, but said nothing. He never ex- 
pected to find the chair. 

The permission asked for was obtained a few 
days later, and Baptiste and Guy set out on their 
journey towards the fighting front. 

" I shall bring you back a Boche helmet," Guy 
promised Eugenie, who clapped her hands with 
joy. 



ii8 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

" You will bring me something also," his grand- 
mother said, as she kissed him good-bye. 

"Oh, yes!" answered the boy. " I'll bring you 
a green arm-chair, grandmamma dear; and also," 
he added, "a little wool." 

"You silly boy!" Eug6nie laughed, "we can 
get plenty of wool in Paris." 

" But not such nice wool as Curlu wool," he 
answered, as he ran away to join Baptiste. 

"What does he mean?" asked Eugenie. 

"You must wait until he comes back," her 
grandmother said; "then perhaps he will ex- 
plain." 

Baptiste and Guy were kept waiting for two 
days at Albert before they were allowed to make 
their way to Curlu. Then they were taken in 
a military motor-car towards the village. As the 
roads were badly torn up by shell -fire, they had 
to follow the roundabout by-ways, and at one 
point were taken quite near the firing line. 

"It's safe to-day," an officer told them, "but 
yesterday shells were bursting quite close to the 
road." Baptiste shivered. He did not mind 
facing any danger himself, but he dreaded any 
harm might come to Guy. 

" I can't take you any farther," the officer said 
as the car drew up close to the trenches. " You 
will have to walk the rest of the way through 
these old trenches until you get behind the hill, 
where you will be perfectly safe. The British 
soldiers know you are coming, and they will look 



A SEARCH FOR HIDDEN JEWELS 119 

after you all right. Now," said he, smiHng to 
Baptiste, "see that the boy does not get lost in 
the mud." 

There were seas of mud everywhere. Guy 
never saw so much mud in his life before. Encr- 
lish and Scottish soldiers who were laying down 
trench boards waded ankle-deep in it, and some 
looked as if they had been carefully plastered over 
with mud from head to foot. But amidst all the 
mire and wreckage the wild flowers were bloom- 
ing and anointing the air with their sweetness. 
Guy thought he had never seen such beautiful 
flowers in his life before. When a big kilted 
soldier came forward and lifted the boy on his 
right shoulder, saying, "I'll carry you a bit, my 
laddie," the blood -red poppies and the snow- 
white marguerites flicked his face; they seemed 
like old friends, who were welcoming him home 
again and whispering, " Pluck us and take us to 
litde Eugenie; she always loved us so." 

Guy was carried shoulder-high for about 200 
yards. Then he was set down on an open space 
behind a litde hill that rises to the south of the 
village. At first the boy did not recognize the 
spot, although he had often played there in the 
happy days that now seemed so far off. The 
trees had been stripped of their branches, and 
looked like big fence posts stuck at random over 
the slope. He climbed a narrow path, following 
Baptiste, stepping over heaps of bark, wood 
splinters, and dead leaves. At length Baptiste 



I20 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

turned round and said, " Do you see where you 
are now?" Guy shook his head. The man-ser- 
vant pointed to the left, " The village is down 
there." He sighed heavily. " I should have 
said it used to be down there." 

As he spoke, Baptiste broke his way through 
a heap of tangled branches, and soon Guy found 
himself in the desolated village. All the houses 
were in ruins. Few had even a fragment of roof 
left. Great gaps made by shells yawned in the 
few walls that were left standing. Windows 
were shattered, doors lay on the ground or hung 
swinging on a single twisted hinge. The street 
was strewn with heaps of plaster, broken glass 
and crockery, bits of furniture, shreds of bedding 
and clothing, rusted pots, and, as Guy noted, 
some children's toys. He saw a little wax doll 
lying in a mud pool, and thought of Eugenie 
again. Over all there was deep silence — the 
silence of a lonely graveyard. Baptiste shivered. 
He thouofht of the vanished innocents whose 
homes lay in ruins, but more of those whose 
bodies lay beneath the debris than those who 
were in safety far westward, where they had 
found new homes and new friends. 

He hastened down a narrow street and crossed 
the empty market-place, which used to be such 
a merry place on market days, and paused for 
a moment to stare at a ruined chapel, the steeple 
of which had fallen through the roof. A few 
small panes of stained glass shone bright as the 



A SEARCH FOR HIDDEN JEWELS 121 

petals of wild flowers. All else was shattered 
and torn and defaced. He turned away with 
quickening steps, and did not pause until he 
reached the chateau. What a change was there! 
The walls remained standing, and still supported 
a part of the roof Bedding, tables, and chairs 
were heaped up against the broken windows. 
In the front garden, which was overgrown with 
weeds, was a dug-out, roofed with logs and sand- 
bags. Guy ran towards it, and peered with 
wonder through the narrow entrance and down 
a flight of stairs which seemed to lead to the 
middle of the earth. He wanted to go down 
and see the strange place beneath, but Baptiste 
called him away. " It's dangerous there," he 
said. They walked round the chateau, and found 
that the back garden had become a cemetery. 
Rows and rows of little wooden crosses stretched 
across it from end to end. On one cross there 
was a photograph. Guy gazed at it for a moment. 
It showed a tall German officer with his helmet 
low over his eyes, that were puckered in bright 
sunshine, and he was smiling, as if well pleased 
with himself and everything about him. In the 
background was a glimpse of the chateau. 

"Look, look, Baptiste!" the boy exclaimed. 
" This is the German Commander who lived in 
Grandmother's house." 

Baptiste made no answer. He was peering 
through a window of the chateau and muttering 
to himself " I wonder if it's safe to venture 

( c e03 ) 9 



122 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

inside," he said aloud at length. " The roof 
seems about to fall." 

Guy had crept over to the window. " Lift me 
up," he whispered. 

Baptiste raised the boy in his arms. " I cannot 
see the green arm-chair," Guy said in a low voice. 

"Oh, that green arm-chair!" sighed the man- 
servant. " One would think there had been 
nothing else in the chateau." 

As he spoke he heard footsteps behind him, 
and looking round beheld a French corporal, who 
seemed to have dropped from the clouds. As 
a matter of fact, he had come from the dug-out. 

"What is it you look for?" said the corporal, 
when he had examined Baptiste's permit. 

"Well, you may ask that," the man-servant 
answered cautiously. " It seems quite hopeless 
to look for anything in particular. What a mess 
war makes!" 

"Yes, indeed." 

" My grandmother wants her green arm-chair," 
the boy explained. 

"Do you hear what he says?" whispered the 
soldier with a smile. 

" The old lady does not realize what has hap- 
pened here," sighed Baptiste. "What has not 
been destroyed has been carried away, it seems." 

" My friend," the soldier exclaimed, " do you 
really think the Boches have been stealing your 
mistress's furniture? Not they. Most of it is all 
safe and sound, I can assure you." 



A SEARCH FOR HIDDEN JEWELS 123 

"What do you mean?" 

The soldier pointed to the earth. " Have you 
not been down below?" he asked with a smile. 

" Down below? I do not understand." 

"The dug-out is all furnished with carpets, 
beds, tables, sofas, and chairs. No doubt, the 
old lady's green arm-chair is with the rest." 

"What is that you say?" asked the boy, who 
had been listening in silence. 

" The corporal tells me that all the furniture is 
down that hole," Baptiste explained. 

" I was sure they had made a house under the 
ground," Guy pouted, " for I saw the stairs, and 
you would not let me go down." 

"Is it safe to enter such a place now?" asked 
Baptiste with a nervous shrug. 

" I can assure you there is not a Boche left 
alive who has not gone," smiled the soldier. 
"The place is 'to let', so to speak. Don't you 
see the British have pushed on behind the hill? 
They have no need of shelter here. Besides, 
they prefer to be above ground and," he added, 
"higher up." He pointed a finger towards a 
British aeroplane, which passed overhead hum- 
ming like a bee, and seemed, from where they 
stood, to be not much larger than one. 

" Let us go down at once," urged Guy, who 
was all impatience to explore the dug-out. 

" I will guide you, my young friend," laughed 
the corporal. 

"That is good of you," Baptiste explained; 



124 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

" but do not let us delay you, if you have aught 
else to do." 

" It is my business to go down with you," said 
the corporal with a smile. " See, I am provided 
with what is required." He drew an electric 
torch from his pocket. 

" Is it so dark, then, that you require that at 
this time of day?" asked Baptiste. 

" Well, there are no windows, and the electric 
current has been cut off," the corporal answered. 

"Go in front, then," Baptiste pleaded, looking 
quite as uncomfortable as he felt. 

" I have been down several times already," 
smiled the corporal. " Every time I have gone 
down I have found something." 

"Of value?" asked Baptiste suspiciously. 

"Well, what a soldier considers to be valu 
able." 

" Such as?" 

" Something to smoke, drink, or put on." 

Baptiste sighed. " And money, too, I sup- 
pose." 

They had begun to descend the creaking stairs 
that led to the undergrround chambers. 

" Money?" laughed the soldier. " How amus- 
ing you are! The Boches have no money — only 
worthless paper." 

" I'm glad I have come after all," Guy ex- 
claimed, as he walked along the narrow tunnel 
and caught glimpses of wide chambers leading off 
from it. Heaps of clothing, blankets, waterproof 



A SEARCH FOR HIDDEN JEWELS 125 

sheets, empty bottles, and broken crockery were 
littered about the ground. 

Guy paused now and again. " Wait till you 
see the officers' quarters," the soldier said. 

"What is that.'*" Baptiste exclaimed suddenly, 
darting aside. Something had gone past him 
quickly. 

"A rat, or perhaps a cat," the soldier answered. 

" I hate rats," Baptiste groaned. 

" Here's a door — one of our own doors, too," 
said Guy, as the soldier played his light over it, 
muttering, "This is the place I was searching 
for ! " 

He pushed the door open. Guy gave a shout 
of wonder and clapped his hands. It seemed as 
if one of the rooms of the ruined chateau had 
been lifted out and packed into this grimy place 
deep down in the earth. The floor was level; it 
had been laid with concrete and there was a 
carpet on it; the walls had been plastered and 
painted white, and were hung with pictures that 
Guy recognized — yonder was Grandmother her- 
self, as she had been when a girl; her portrait, 
after all, was safe. The room was not only well 
furnished, but neat and clear. A writing-desk 
stood in a corner — Guy's father's desk — a folding- 
screen beside it. The soldier went towards the 
desk and lit three candles on a branched brass 
candlestick. 

"How nicely arranged the place is!" Baptiste 
exclaimed. 



126 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

" It was in terrible confusion," explained the 
soldier, "until I put things in order," 

"Oh! look here, look here!" cried Guy, who 
was peering into every corner. 

"What is it?" Baptiste asked in a flurry. 

" Grandmamma's green arm-chair is safe and 
sound," the boy answered. He sat down in it 
and laughed with joy. " So I've found the chair, 
I've found the chair," he kept repeating, between 
shouts of laughter. 

" I hope it has not been much damaged," 
Baptiste muttered in a low voice; "my mistress 
is always talking about that chair." 

" It seems to be all right," said the soldier. 
" We had better get on, however, there is much 
more to see." 

"We've seen enough for a day," Baptiste 
sighed. "All I want to do now is to carry away 
the green arm-chair with us. It is for the chair 
we came here." 

" You can't do that," the soldier told him. 

"Why?" 

"It is forbidden. I am here to keep watch on 
everything. Nothing can be moved without 
official sanction. Do you understand?" 

" But this is my mistress's chair," protested 
Baptiste. 

"It makes no difference," the corporal told him 
politely but firmly. 

" No one will touch it until I get permission to 
take it away, I suppose?" said Baptiste. 



A SEARCH FOR HIDDEN JEWELS 127 

"Oh! certainly not. Perhaps you would like to 
make a list of everything here. I can allow you to 
do that. But first come and look at the bedroom." 

The soldier led Baptiste into an inner chamber, 
but did not observe at first that he was not 
followed by the boy. Guy had heard all that had 
passed, and when the two men left the room he 
turned the green arm-chair upside down and ex- 
amined the bottom carefully. It seemed not to 
have been interfered with since his grandmother 
had sewn it up. Darting his hand into a pocket 
he drew out a penknife, slit open the packing, 
and thrust in his small hand between the springs, 
His fingers touched a little round ball of wool, 
and he pulled it out. He had just time to con- 
ceal it, turn the chair over again, and sit down, 
when the two men re-entered the room. 

"Ha, ha!" laughed the soldier, "the litde 
fellow has made himself quite at home. How 
he loves that chair!" 

" I wish you could let us take it away," Bap- 
tiste sighed. 

The soldier shook his head. " I promise to 
keep it safe for you. That's all I can say. Now, 
shall we go on further? There are other rooms 
further down. The stairway is somewhat dan- 
gerous, but " 

" We shall come back some other day," Guy 
said. "What think you, Baptiste? We must 
write to Grandmother at once to tell her that the 
green arm-chair has been found." 



128 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

"Yes, of course," Baptiste agreed, rubbing his 
hands and twitching his face. It was plain to 
see that he was ill at ease. 

" My torch, I find, is failing," the soldier said. 
" I thought it was good for another hour. Never 
mind, I'll take a candle and lead you back to sun- 
shine." 

When they had climbed up again to the deso- 
late garden Baptiste and Guy bade good-bye to 
the soldier, and made their way in silence through 
the ruined villas^e and along- the ridgre of the hill- 
side among the shattered trees. 

Guy was in high spirits and whistled merrily, 
but Baptiste had a long face and walked on in 
silence. At length the boy tugged his sleeve and 
said: "I know why you are sad. It is because 
you are not carrying the green arm-chair on your 
back." 

Baptiste nodded. 

" Never mind. We'll get the chair some day." 

*' But what if that soldier should suspect?" 

"It doesn't matter now," laughed the boy. 

"What do you mean?" 

Guy drew the ball of wool from his pocket. 
"I found it," he explained, "when you were in 
the bedroom." 

"Well, you do surprise me!" Baptiste ex- 
claimed. " But are you sure the rings are in 
it?" 

Guy handed him the ball. "You can feel 
something hard inside," he smiled. 



A SEARCH FOR HIDDEN JEWELS 129 

" So you can," exclaimed Baptiste, thrusting 
the ball into one of his pockets. 

"Nay," Guy said, "the ball is mine! I found 
It, and must hand it over to Grandmother." 

" So yo^ shall," the old servant exclaimed as 
he restored the treasure to Guy. " Oh, I feel 
happy now! My faith! you are a wonder." 
Then he laughed aloud, holding his sides with 
his old wrinkled hands. 

" Why do you laugh so?" asked the boy. 

" It is all so funny," Baptiste chuckled. "What 
would the Boche officers say, now, if they knew 
what they had been sitting on? What would the 
sentry who was our guide say? What would 
everybody say?" 

" I know what Grandmamma will say for one," 
said Guy. 

"Oh! she will thank you and kiss you." 

"Grandmamma," said Guy solemnly, will say, 
" I knew I hid the rings in the proper place." 

And that was just what the old lady did say 
when Baptiste told her all that had taken place, 
and she sat listening with Guy in her arms and 
the rings glittering once again on her thin white 
fingers. 



ADMIRAL SIR DAVID BEATTY 

Admiral Sir David Beatty, who was appointed 
to the command of the Grand Fleet of Great Bri- 
tain when Admiral Sir John Jellicoe became First 
Sea Lord of the Admiralty, is an Irishman by 
birth and descent. He was born in 1871, his 
father being Captain D. L. Beatty, of Borrodale, 
County Wexford. Like Jellicoe, he is short of 
stature, but is of more muscular build. He has 
a strong, resolute face, with sharply-cut features 
and deep lines that betoken the thinker, clear and 
penetrating grey eyes, and firmly-set lips. The 
sternness of his mouth, however, is relieved by a 
suggestion of innate kindliness and humour. There 
is a picturesque touch in his bearing. Alert, fear- 
less, and full of energy, he seems like one to whom 
adventurous undertakings are congenial. He has 
undoubtedly proved himself a born fighting sea- 
man and a grreat leader of men. In battle his 
personal example is an inspiration to those who 
serve under him. Every sailor in the Grand 
Fleet knows that when a blow has to be struck 
Beatty will strike well and strike hard, and that 
he will give every man an opportunity of proving 

130 



SIR DAVID BEATTY 131 

his worth. He trusts the men of the British 
Navy and the men trust him, having had ex- 
perience of his skill and efficiency. In one of 
his inspiring messages to his countrymen, which 
was read by Lady Beatty at an Edinburgh war 
concert, the Admiral revealed himself when he 
wrote: — 

"The history of our beloved country is wrapped round the 
history of our navy. The history of the navy is full and over- 
flowing of glorious deeds in the past. The navy to-day is 
ready and prepared to add to those pages, and to live up to 
the standard of the past." 

Sir David entered the navy in his thirteenth 
year, and as a midshipman was known as a youth 
of high spirits and determined character, who de- 
voted himself with enthusiasm to his duties. His 
love of a good prank and his genial manners made 
him popular among his fellows, while his resource 
and smartness attracted the attention of his supe- 
riors. He has been called " Lucky Beatty", be- 
cause, in winning promotion, he seemed always 
to be in the right place just at the right time ; but 
he really owes more to pluck than to luck. A 
young officer of his character and ability was sure 
to distinguish himself when he got an opportunity 
of doing so. 

Strangely enough, it was not at sea but in the 
interior of Africa that, to use a military term, he 
•' won his spurs ". He was one of the naval officers 
selected to go out to Egypt in 1896, to join Kit- 



132 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

chener's naval flotilla on the Nile and fight against 
the Dervishes of the Sudan. At that time he 
held the rank of lieutenant. 

There were no aeroplanes in those days, and 
river gunboats, native spies, and squadrons of 
cavalry which scouted across wastes of sandy 
desert, were "the eyes of the army". In no 
other country can river gunboats be more use- 
fully employed than in Egypt, which, south of 
Cairo, stretches through the desert like a long 
green double ribbon on the banks of the Nile. 
" These banks", as one writer puts it, "are indeed 
the land of Egypt." The narrow valley is fringed 
by hills which here and there close in almost to 
the water's edge. River craft can therefore pass 
through the very heart of Egypt and the Sudan, 
watch the movements of an enemy, and sweep 
with their guns the main highways and fortified 
places. 

For navy men, accustomed to wide stormy seas 
and changing tides, there are few problems of navi- 
gation on the Nile. But these may at times prove 
to be extremely difficult of solution. There are, 
for instance, six cataracts on that great looping 
river, which extends for about 1350 miles from 
Khartoum to the Mediterranean. These cata- 
racts are formed by great masses of granite. 
When the river is low, between November and 
June, the shallow waters surge fiercely over the 
rugged ledges, and when it is high, the narrow 
channels remain dangerous on account of the 



SIR DAVID BEATTY 133 

swirling currents and the submerged and jutting 
rocks. 

Beatty arrived in Egypt when Kitchener was 
beginning to move southward with a strong army 
to recover the province of Dongola from the 
Mahdi's followers, and thus prepare for the ad- 
vance on Omdurman and Khartoum. He had 
mobilized a small river flotilla of well-armed 
steamers supplied with guns powerful enough to 
attack Dervish forts and even engage the Dervish 
field artillery. 

The first great problem to be solved was how 
to get the gunboats through the Second Cataract. 
The summer of 1896 was extremely hot and dry, 
and the Nile ran very low. When it began, as 
usual, to rise in June, the cataract resembled a 
mountain waterfall. No boat could possibly go 
up or down the foaming channel. It was neces- 
sary, therefore, to wait until the river increased 
in volume, fed by the rain-flooded equatorial lakes 
and charged with mud from the mountains of 
Abyssinia. As a rule, there is a great flow of 
water by the latter half of July, but in 1896 the 
" new Nile " entered the Sudan very reluctantly, 
and it was not until the middle of August that an 
attempt could be made to get the gunboats through 
the terrible Second Cataract. The channel was 
not only narrow and dangerous on account of its 
rocky obstacles above and below water, but also 
because for over 100 yards it sloped almost as 
steeply as the roof of a house. Here was a 



134 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

problem indeed for the British navy men to solve; 
but they tackled it, and proved themselves equal 
to it. The gunboats could not make headway 
under their own steam against the rapidly running 
slope of water, and there was nothing for it but 
to haul them up it. About 2000 soldiers were 
employed to pull the cables on both banks of 
the river, pretty much in the same manner as 
the workers of ancient Egypt were employed to 
haul blocks of stone to the sites of the great 
Pyramids near Cairo. 

The first gunboat to be dealt with in this way 
was the Metemma. Its guns had to be taken 
ashore, its magazine emptied of ammunition, and 
its free-board raised. Withal, it had to be pro- 
tected from stem to stern by temporary wooden 
bulwarks, so that its plates might not be damaged 
by the ridges of rock fringing the dangerous 
channel. The little vessel steamed forward until 
she could make no further headway against the 
current, and her fires had to be drawn. Then the 
men at the cables began " a long pull, a strong 
pull, and a pull all together". It was hard work 
under a burning sun. requiring not only great 
muscular effort, but also skilful management on 
the part of the navigators. When, at length, after 
overcoming many difficulties, the steamer was got 
safely through the foaming cataract, the resource- 
ful naval officers, including Beatty, felt justly proud 
of the cheers raised for them by the wearied but 
enthusiastic soldiers. Durincj the week that fol- 



SIR DAVID BEATTY 135 

lowed half a dozen other vessels were also got 
through. 

Meanwhile a new river gunboat, named the 
Zafir, was being built at Kosheh, a few miles 
south of the Second Cataract, where Kitchener 
had his advanced base. The parts had been sent 
out from Great Britain and conveyed southward 
through Cairo by rail. 

Great things were expected of the Zafir, which 
was, in a way, a small Dreadnought, being 
strongly armoured and capable of carrying bigger 
guns than any other river gunboat in the flotilla. 
Beatty was present at the trial trip, which was made 
on nth September. The Zajir had been lavishly 
"dressed" with bunting, and among those on 
board were Commander Colville^ and Sir H. H. 
Kitchener, the Sirdar of the Egyptian army. 
Masses of cheerino; soldiers lined the river banks. 
Unfortunately, however, the Zafir broke down, 
a cylinder having burst. As she could not take 
part in the advance next day, the river flotilla 
unit of the British navy had to proceed without 
its Dreadnought southward towards the Dervish 
stronghold at Kerma. 

Below Kosheh there are two great loops of 
the Nile resembling the letter S. Kitchener's 
army cut across the desert to shorten the first 
loop, while the gunboats steamed round it against 

' Afterwards Admiral Hon. Sir Stanley C. J. Colville, Vice- Admiral 
Commanding First Battle Squadron, 1912-14; engaged in "special ser- 
vice", 1914-16; and appointed Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth in 1916. 



136 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

the strong current. Then fleet and army moved 
forward together. All went well until the Third 
Cataract was reached, and there a gunboat was 
stranded on a ledge of rock; other vessels were 
delayed. 

Three gunboats — the Metemma, Abu K/ea, and 
Tamai — went through the cataract and steamed 
up to Kerma, where they began to engage the 
Dervishes at close range. Lieutenant Beatty 
commanded the Abu Klea, which set up a hot 
and daring attack at Hafir, south of Kerma. 
She was struck by a shell that entered the maga- 
zine, but, fortunately, did not explode. This was 
Beatty's first narrow escape in action. The Tamai, 
Commander Colville's flagship, was also struck, 
and Colville was wounded. She retired, leav- 
ing the other boats in action, so that Colville 
might consult with Kitchener and report regarding 
the strength of the enemy. The Metem77ta sus- 
tained a good deal of damage, but fought on 
pluckily. Kitchener meanwhile pressed on in 
force, and compelled the enemy to retreat. Such 
was the battle of Hafir, on 19th September, 
1896. 

Next day the gunboats went up the river 
scouting, a distance of over thirty miles, shelling 
the main force of the enemy, and turning Maxim 
ofuns on forces of mounted men in the rear. The 
Dervishes retired on Dongola, where on the 21st 
they were harassed by the fire of the Abu Klea. 
commanded by Lieutenant Beatty, who displayed 




incMl Vi.oi.r^.^n.h 



AD.MIRAL SIR DAVID BEATTV 

Commaiider-in-Chief ot the Grand Fleet. 



SIR DAVID BEATTY 137 

great dash and courage. Next day he was sup- 
ported by a second steamer. Kitchener's army 
meanwhile hastened southward, and after a short 
but decisive skirmish captured Dongola with 
slight losses, taking nearly 1000 prisoners. 

Meanwhile the Dervishes continued their re- 
treat round the U loop of the Nile in the direction 
of Abu Hamed, followed by the gunboats for a 
considerable part of the way. 

A year had to elapse, however, after the re- 
conquest of the province of Dongola before a 
further advance in strong force could be made. 
Kitchener was constructing his great railway 
across the desert from Wady Haifa to Abu 
Hamed. 

When the time at length came for the river 
gunboats to advance round the great C loop of the 
Nile towards Abu Hamed, the navy men had to 
solve the problem of getting through the Fourth 
Cataract. Though not so difficult as the Second, 
it proved to be formidable enough. The cables 
were hauled by Egyptian soldiers and gangs of 
natives, difficult to manage. 

The gunboat Tamai made the first attempt, 

but, owing to the confused and awkward efforts 

of the men at the cables, it was swept aside by 

the current, and had to back water to escape 

disaster. Then Beatty tried to get through with 

his steamer the El Teb. He displayed his usual 

daring and resource, but without success. When 

half-way through, the vessel listed heavily, on 
(C903) 10 



138 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

account of the unequal strain on the cables, and 
shipped a good deal of water. Then suddenly a 
cable snapped, and the El Teb " turned turtle " 
and was carried down the stream keel upper- 
most. Beatty and all his men were on deck when 
this happened. They leapt into the Nile just in 
time to escape from the doomed vessel, and all 
save one, an Egyptian, were rescued by the men 
of the Tamai, after being swept down the swirling 
waters of the channel. It was then found that 
two men, an engineer and a stoker, had been 
unable to leave the El Teb before she capsized. 
They were both given up for lost, when atten- 
tion was drawn to the fact that a constant and 
regular tapping came from the hull of the El 
Teb. The two missing men were inside and still 
alive, and were rescued after the hull was broken 
through. 

In a few days the river rose rapidly, and the 
Tamai and other gunboats, including the Zajir, 
which had meanwhile been repaired, were got 
safely through the Fourth Cataract. Quite a 
strong river flotilla was then mobilized at Abu 
Hamed, and before the end of August moved 
up to Berber, which the Dervishes had evacuated. 
The flotilla followed the retreating enemy, and, 
havinor thrown their rearguard into confusion, 
captured several grain boats. In this "scrap" 
the El Teb distinguished herself as usual. 

Beatty afterwards took part in the advance to 
Omdurman, and with his naval men did excel- 



SIR DAVID BEATTY 139 

lent service in the Sudan. Time and again 
dashing raids were made against Dervish en- 
campments and strongholds, and just as aero- 
planes now spy upon enemy positions, so did the 
gunboats spy upon the positions and movements 
of the Dervishes on the banks of the Nile. In 
vain the Khalifa attempted to protect himself 
against that mosquito unit of the British navy. 
He had a great mine laid in the river. It had 
been made by utilizing an old boiler of one of 
Gordon's steamers, which was packed with pow- 
der, but it blew up the Dervish gunboat that 
laid it. 

The British naval men grew more and more 
troublesome to the enemy, and although the Zafir 
sprang a leak and sank, other three steamers were 
conveyed southward in sections by rail, fitted up 
and set afloat below Atbara. On the day before 
the battle of Omdurman the gunboats attacked 
the forts of the capital, dismounting guns and 
silencing batteries, while they also swept trenches 
with Maxim gun - fire. After darkness fell the 
naval searchlights were turned on the Dervish 
encampment, and struck terror into the hearts of 
the superstitious enemy. 

When Kitchener had won his great victory, 
and occupied Omdurman, the river boats went 
far up the Blue and White Niles, and helped to 
break up scattered forces of Dervishes. 

In recognition of the great services he had 
rendered during this campaign, Beatty, who had 



I40 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

been mentioned in dispatches, was awarded the 
D.S.O., and promoted to the rank of Commander, 
although only twenty-seven years of age. 

His next experience of active service was ob- 
tained in China, where a war, waged chiefly 
against foreigners and in defiance of the Govern- 
ment, broke out in 1900. It was known as the 
" Boxer rising ", having been organized by a 
secret society called the " Boxers". The foreign 
Legations at Pekin were besieged, and a mixed 
naval force was dispatched from Tientsin to 
relieve the men, women, and children of the Lega- 
tions and foreign quarter, who were threatened 
with massacre. It was commanded by Admiral 
Sir Edward Seymour, who had selected Captain 
Jellicoe as his chief staff officer. Beatty was in 
command of a section of the force. This expedi- 
tion was hopelessly outnumbered, and forced to 
retreat when about half-way towards the capital. 
It would undoubtedly have met with disaster but 
for the skilful leadership of Seymour and the 
gallantry displayed by officers and men. The 
enemy suffered heavily, and before the Boxer 
army was able to recover from the blows struck 
by the "handy men", an Allied army, about 
20,000 strong, made a victorious advance to 
Pekin and relieved the Legation garrisons. 
Beatty was promoted to the rank of Captain as 
a reward for the services he had performed with 
gallantry and distinction. 

Subsequently Beatty commanded various war- 



SIR DAVID BEATTY 141 

ships, and was captain of the Queen when, in 191 2, 
he was appointed Naval Secretary to the First 
Lord of the Admirahy. The First Lord at the 
time was Mr. MacKenna, but Beatty had differ- 
ences with him which ultimately resulted in his 
being placed on half-pay. When, however, Mr. 
Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord, 
Beatty returned to the Admiralty post which he 
had vacated. Mr. Churchill and he were old 
friends. They had both fought in the Sudan, 
Churchill serving as an officer in the 21st Lancers 
when Beatty commanded a river gunboat. At 
the Admiralty both worked well together during 
a period which saw many progressive changes 
carried out. 

In 1 9 10 Beatty left the Admiralty to take com- 
mand of a powerful cruiser squadron of the Home 
Fleet. He had been promoted to the rank of 
Rear- Admiral, and, being under age for such 
high rank (for he was thirty-nine at the time), a 
special Order in Council had to be issued to make 
the appointment possible. He proved his worth 
in manoeuvres and won an enviable reputation as 
a daring and original strategist. It was generally 
recognized that he was the right man in the right 
place. 

On the outbreak of war Beatty was appointed 
as Acting Vice- Admiral, and although the youngest 
holder of that distinguished post in the British 
Navy, soon became the most distinguished and 
best-known. As a fighting Admiral he achieved 



142 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

his first success in the brilHant action in the Bight 
of HeHgoland on 28th August, 19 14, when he 
conducted a "scooping out" action, drawing the 
German fleet into action, and sinking three ligfht 
cruisers, the Kohi, Mainz, and Ariadne, and two 
destroyers. 

His next important naval engagement was 
fought in the North Sea on Sunday, 24th 
January, 191 5. It is usually referred to as the 
Dogger Bank action. His patrolling squadron 
of battle cruisers and light cruisers, with a 
destroyer flotilla under Commander Tyrwhitt, 
sighted four German battle cruisers, six light 
cruisers, and a number of destroyers, steering 
westward and apparently making for the Eng- 
lish coast, probably with intention to repeat 
the tactics of i6th December, 19 14, when 
Hartlepool, Scarborough, and Whitby were 
shelled. When Beatty's vessels hove in sight 
about "j.y:) a.m. the enemy turned and fled. They 
were hotly pursued, and at about 9 o'clock a run- 
ning action opened and was kept up with great 
vigour. The British battle cruisers were the 
Lion, Tiger, Princess Royal, Indomitable, and 
New Zealand, and the German battle cruisers, 
the Derfflinger, Seydlitz, Mdltke, and Blacker. 

During the early part of the chase the Lio7i, 
Beatty's flagship, and the Tiger, which both 
have a speed of about 28 knots, and carry eight 
13-5 guns each, having gained on the Germans, 
were alone in action for some time and drew the 



SIR DAVID BEATTY 143 

concentrated fire of the enemy vessels. The Lion 
made the first hit on the Bliichey, which was 
fourth in the German Hne, and having damaged 
her considerably, pressed ahead to engage the 
ship in front of her, leaving the Tiger to deal 
further blows. The Tiger left the Blucher badly 
battered, and she was afterwards subjected to the 
fire of the Princess Royal and New Zealand. At 
10.48 the Blacker had dropped out of the German 
line and was listing heavily, while the Indomitable 
attacked her. In the end she was torpedoed by 
the light cruiser Arethusa, and, heeling over, sank 
with most of her crew shordy after one o'clock. 
Over 120 of the enemy were rescued by our 
chivalrous seamen. 

Meanwhile the other German vessels were being 
pursued and furiously shelled, and fire broke out 
on two of them. The Lion, which had previously 
avoided submarine attack, was struck at 11.3 
below the water-line by a shell which damaged 
one of her feed-tanks, with the result that she fell 
out of line. Beatty, who had been in the front 
of batde, had then to leave his flagship. He 
transferred his flag to the destroyer Attack, until, 
about an hour later, he could board the Princess 
Royal, which then became the flagship. 

The chase was kept up with vigour until a 
danger zone was reached. This zone had been 
sown with German mines, and was being patrolled 
with German submarines. Beatty decided to 
abandon the chase, and the three remainine 



144 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

enemy cruisers escaped, two of them being on 
fire, and all of them seriously crippled. 

Owing to the damage done by the chance shot 
to the Lions feed-tank, Beatty was deprived of 
a greater victory. He had, however, achieved 
a brilliant success, and made it impossible for the 
Germans to attempt another attack on the English 
coast for a considerable period, because of the 
serious damage done to their surviving fast cruisers 
and other craft. He also proved to the whole 
world "that", as a New York newspaper declared 
at the time, " the Germans have no hope of 
vanquishing Great Britain on the sea. The 
British Navy is obviously wide awake," added 
the writer, "and Admiral Sir David Beatty has 
advanced still further in the esteem of his country- 
men." 

Months elapsed before the German fleet again 
ventured into the North Sea to challenge the naval 
supremacy of Great Britain. Then, with dramatic 
suddenness, came the famous battle off Jutland, 
which was fought on 31st May, 19 16. In Sir 
John Jellicoe's dispatch frank and generous 
acknowledgment was made of Beatty's services, 
as the following extract from it shows: — 

" Sir David Beatty once again showed his fine qualities of 
gallant leadership, firm determination, and correct strategic 
insight. He appreciated the situations at once on sighting 
first the enemy's lighter forces, then his battle cruisers, and 
finally his battle fleet. I can fully sympathize with his feelings 
when the evening mist and fading light robbed the fleet of 



SIR DAVID BEATTY 145 

that complete victory for which he had manoeuvred, and for 
which the vessels in company with him had striven so hard 
The services rendered by him, not only on this, but on two 
previous occasions, have been of the greatest value." 

In these few sentences a vivid impression of 
the battle is conveyed. It began between two 
and three o'clock in the afternoon. Beatty was 
cruising and steering northward to join Jellicoe's 
flagship when the smoke of enemy light cruisers 
was sio^hted. Not lono; afterwards five German 
battle cruisers hove in sigrht. It was a dull after- 
noon with low -hanging clouds, and a British 
seaplane pilot had to fly far to discover the 
strength of the hostile force. Soon after the 
first exchange of shots, however, it became evi- 
dent that the Germans were out in considerable 
strength, and with purpose to engage in a big 
conflict. 

Beatty accepted battle readily, although, as 
events proved, in command of a fleet inferior in 
number to that of the German. He did the rioht 
thing at the right moment in his characteristic 
way, combining skill with fearlessness and dash 
with accurate calculation. 

The first phase of the battle was an encounter 
with the German light cruisers, which lasted until 
the German battle cruisers were drawn into the 
fray, followed by the Kaiser's Main High Seas 
Fleet of Dreadnought battleships. 

After a spell of heavy fighting, in which the 
British cruiser squadron sustained losses, Beatty, 



146 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

supported by four Queen Elizabeth battleships, 
made a bold move with purpose to cut off the 
enemy from his base, and to keep his main fleet 
engaged until Jellicoe had time to come up with 
his battleship squadron and destroy it. He turned 
right round, and directed his course across the 
head of the German fleet, while Rear-Admiral 
Evan-Thomas, with his Queen Elizabeth battle- 
ships, drew the German battleships towards Jellicoe, 
who was approaching speedily from the north. 
This was about half-past five. In an hour later 
Beatty was curving round the German fleet, 
Jellicoe was following him, and Evan-Thomas 
was behind Jellicoe. A loop was thus being 
drawn round the enemy, who was cut off from 
possible escape into the Baltic or towards Heligo- 
land. 

Had the battle begun early in the forenoon, it 
would probably have resulted in the complete 
destruction of the German fleet, which had been 
outmanoeuvred and caught in a trap. But the 
night came on rapidly, and prevented Jellicoe and 
Beatty from completely surrounding the enemy. 
To save his remaining vessels from destruction, 
the German Admiral took flig-ht in a south- 
westerly direction, thus escaping by the only 
loophole that remained. He could not have es- 
caped but for the darkness. Another hour of 
visibility would have been sufficient to complete 
the British victory. 

When, late in the evening, the strategy of 



SIR DAVID BEATTY 147 

Jellicoe and Beatty developed, and the Ger- 
mans found themselves being gradually encircled, 
they became demoralized to such an extent that 
their battle cruisers and battleships were freely 
attacked by the British light cruisers and de- 
stroyers. "Our fire began to tell," runs the 
official report, "the accuracy and rapidity of 
that of the enemy depreciating considerably." 
Throughout the battle the British superiority in 
gunnery and tactics " was very marked, their (the 
enemy's) efficiency becoming rapidly reduced under 
punishment, while ours was maintained through- 
out ". No doubt could remain, when the German 
fleet took flight, that its effective power had 
been crushed. The British fleet remained all 
night in the proximity of the scene of the battle, 
and until 1 1 a.m. next day, but the enemy did not 
venture out again. The supremacy of Britain's 
sea power had been tested, and it remained un- 
disputed. 

The losses were heavy on both sides, but 
heaviest on that of the Germans. At least twenty- 
one enemy vessels were put out of action, sixteen 
having been actually seen to sink; these included 
two Dreadnought battleships, a batdeship of the 
Deutschland type, a battle cruiser, five light 
cruisers, six torpedo-boat destroyers, and a sub- 
marine. In addition, a Dreadnought battleship, a 
battle cruiser, and three torpedo-boat destroyers 
were " seen to be so severely damaged as to 
render it extremely doubtful if they could reach 



148 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

port ". No British battleship was lost, but three 
battle cruisers and three armoured cruisers went 
down, and also eight destroyers. 

In recognition of his services in the Jutland 
battle. Sir David Beatty had conferred upon him 
the Knight Commandership of the Victorian 
Order, and when Sir John Jellicoe became First 
Sea Lord of the Admiralty, he was promoted 
to the Chief Command of the Grand Fleet. 

In the battles of Heligoland Bight, off Dogger 
Bank, and off Jutland, Beatty has undoubtedly 
proved himself a great admiral, worthy to be 
ranked with the greatest in the annals of the 
British Navy. 

An impression of him as a man is vividly con- 
veyed in a pen-sketch by Mr. F'ilson Young in 
New Leaves. " If you saw the Admiral hunting 
with the Quorn or the Cottesmere, you would 
think", writes Mr. Young, "he had never seen a 
ship in his life. If you saw him on the quarter- 
deck you would think he did not know one end 
of a horse from the other. But anywhere else, I 
think, you would know him for one of those on 
whom the sea has set its seal. . . . There is 
nothing of the drawing-room sea-dog about him, 
nor will he ever be one of your hornpipe admirals. 
But when there is work to be done, such terrible 
work as he has been doing ... in the North 
Sea, he will be there doinor it — doino- it with a 
quiet and cheery spirit." 

Lady Beatty is an American, and the daughter 



SIR DAVID BEATTY 149 

of the late Mr. Marshall Field, Chicago. Her 
ladyship's great interest in all war schemes, pro- 
moted in the interests of the men and the 
relatives of the men of the fleet, has brought her 
much popularity and great esteem, which is shared 
by all classes. 



A FAMOUS DESTROYER 
BATTLE 

In the naval annals of the Empire there is no 
more thrilling story than that of the brief but 
glorious night battle between two British and six 
German destroyers in the English Channel in 
April, 191 7. It recalls the famous exploits of 
Drake and Blake, of Nelson and Cochrane. 
Once again our peerless seamen won great glory 
fighting against a superior force; but the most 
remarkable feature of the fight was the revival of 
boarding tactics and hand-to-hand fighting with 
pistol and cutlass, so common in the days of 
wooden warships. No sea battle in modern times 
has shown more clearly that the valour and daring 
of the British navy is as much alive in our own 
time as it was in the great days of old. 

The two British destroyers which have "made 
history ", and shed lustre on the fame of our fear- 
less seamen, are the Swift and the Broke. They 
were engaged on patrol duty, scouring the Eng- 
lish Channel after nightfall in quest of enemy 
craft. A wonderful stillness prevailed, wind and 
tide having been hushed as if by the arresting 
spell of springtide; the sky was overcast and the 
night was black as pitch. The destroyers were 



A FAMOUS DESTROYER BATTLE 151 

steaming through the thick darkness at a speed 
of 14 knots, and when midnight came, and many 
slumbered in their hammocks, it seemed to the 
patient, keen-eyed seamen who kept watch that 
the Channel was lonelier and emptier than usual. 
But forty minutes later the night was stabbed 
with flares of crimson fire, while the crash of 
battle resounded over the sea. 

The enemy was abroad in the darkness. A 
flotilla of six German destroyers had crept into 
the Channel, with the intention of attacking 
shipping, or shelling some defenceless coast 
town, and was suddenly met by the Swift and 
Broke as they ran on a westerly course. The 
Swift was leading, and sighted the intruders at 
a distance of about only 600 yards. Fate had 
been kind! It had delivered the enemy into 
British hands; and although there were six against 
two — what of that? In the annals of the British 
navy great glory had been won more than once 
by a few against many. Commander Ambrose 
M. Peck of the Swift did not hesitate to strike 
a blow, despite the odds against him. Here 
was the enemy: it was his duty, as it certainl) 
was his desire and that of every man under him 
to get into action at once. 

The Germans sighted our ships ere a shot was 
discharged, and their fire gongs sounded over the 
sea. Out sprang their searchlights and their 
guns began to blaze vigorously. Commander 
Peck made up his mind in a flash. He decided 



152 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

to ram the leading German destroyer, and at his 
word of command the steering wheel span round, 
and the Sivift swerved rapidly and ran full tilt, 
at high speed, towards the enemy, cleaving the 
waters like a knife. The operation was a perilous 
one. If the Sivift should happen to miss the 
leading destroyer it would run the risk of being- 
rammed itself by the second as it cut through the 
enemy line. 

For a brief space it seemed as if the attempt 
would be successful, but the German searchlights 
were turned on the attacker, and for the time 
being blinded every man on board. The Swift 
missed her prey by almost a hairbreadth, but so 
cleverly was she manoeuvred that she evaded the 
second destroyer. As soon as she was clear, she 
came round sharply and discharged a torpedo, 
which crippled this second vessel. Then the 
Swift dashed forward once more against the 
leading destroyer, which, however, managed a 
second time to evade being rammed. The Ger- 
man commander evidently thought by this time 
that his only hope was to effect a speedy escape. 
Putting on full speed, he raced away through the 
darkness, followed by the Swift with her guns in 
action. Not a shot was fired in return. Off 
went the enemy, with lights out, as if the whole 
British navy were at his heels. 

Meanwhile the Broke was scattering and shat- 
terinor the rest of the enemv flotilla. Commander 
R. G. R. Evans, C.B., followed the Szuift as it 



A FAMOUS DESTROYER BATTLE 153 

dashed against the leading- German vessel, and, 
realizing the risk it ran, attacked the second 
destroyer. First he struck it, as he ran forward, 
with a well-directed torpedo; then his guns 
opened fire with fine effect. A panic spread 
throuorh all the remainino- German vessels. Their 
furnaces were heavily stoked, so that they might 
get up increased speed for flight, and every funnel 
began to glow as the flames leapt up. Nothing 
better could have happened. The enemy craft 
were now marked out clearly in the darkness, and 
every move made could be followed. 

" Thanks for your torches!" shouted an excited 
British tar, who was bringing up ammunition for 
the eagle-eyed gunners. 

The Broke pursued its way. No. 2 destroyer 
was out of action, and No. 3 was coming on. 
Commander Evans decided to ram it, and being 
satisfied with the Broke s increased rate of speed 
gave the word of command. 

The steersman of the B^^oke was Able Seaman 
Rawle, and he thrilled with the joy of the born 
fighting man when he received the order. As he 
has said himself: " It put new life into me." He 
has been badly wounded. Soon after the German 
destroyers had been sighted the leading boat 
opened fire on the Broke, and a shell burst 
behind the wheel where Rawle was standino-. 
, "The fragments", he tells, "struck me all over 
the lower part of the body. Two pieces were 
embedded in my back, and a piece in the fleshy 

(C903) II 



154 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

part of each of my legs. Although slightly dazed 
by my wounds and suffering from shock, I stuck 
to my post, but I had to look round occasionally 
over the stern to get a puff of wind and a sniff of 
the briny to buck me up." 

Rawle received his orders from the captain 
through the voice tube connecting the telegraph 
and the helm. A lad of nineteen, named Fowles, 
was at the voice tube. He, too, had been 
wounded by a shell. One leg was broken, and 
the other was torn and bleeding, while his face 
was also badly scratched. He stuck to his post, 
however, and shouted the captain's orders as they 
came through the voice tube, to steersman Rawle. 
He lay most of the time propped on an elbow 
and clinging to the tube. Rawle knew that the 
lad was wounded. " I've been hit myself also," 
he said, "but let's stick it out." Fowles nodded. 
Both stuck to their posts like heroes. 

When the order came to slue round and ram 
the German destroyer, Fowles was able to give 
a hand to Rawle in getting the wheel into the 
position ordered. Then he sank back. Rawle 
knew what was going to happen, but Fowles had 
no other thought but to carry out orders as long 
as he had an ounce of strength left. 

The Broke answered her helm nobly, sluing 
round to dash at the enemy like a hound in pursuit 
of a fox. Smoke poured in heavy wreaths from 
her funnels, and great writhing waves, crested 
with foam, were tossed aside from her razor- like 



A FAMOUS DESTROYER BATTLE 155 

bow as she clove through the black mysterious 
waters, the enemy's shells bursting, the while, 
round her and over her. The Broke, however, 
answered to some purpose, with every available 
CTun in action. 

Down below, the men were working fearlessly 
and hard. No one spared himself. The Broke 
had been steaming at 14 knots when the signal 
for " full speed " was suddenly given. The speed 
was quickly raised to 27 knots. Shortly after- 
wards the stokers and engineers knew they had 
gone into action, for they heard shells dropping 
and bursting overhead. The excitement was in- 
tense, but the men worked with increasing vigour. 
All were doing their duty nobly and well. 

Nothing could stop the Swift avenging the 
Broke as she swept upon her prey. "We are 
going to hit her", men called to one another as 
they saw their vessel slue round to ram the 
enemy. Commander Evans had calculated the 
speed of the Broke and that of the enemy's vessel 
to a nicety, and as the British destroyer charged 
forward, sure of its prey, he found it possible to 
strike two blows at once, and ordered a torpedo 
to be fired at the fourth German destroyer. The 
deadly missile clattered through the water and 
"got home", as the sailors put it. 

In a second later the Broke, with her guns at 
full blaze, rammed the third German destroyer 
rigrht abreast the after funnel. There was a loud 
grinding crash. "The bow of our ship", one tar 



156 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

relates, "seemed to rise right up into the middle 
of the enemy's deck." The Broke quivered 
violently from stem to stern. Down below the 
men guessed what had happened, and were 
greatly cheered when word came from the deck 
that a German vessel had been crippled. Every- 
one was thrilled by the welcome news. Lying 
on the deck beside the voice tube the lad Fowles 
thought at first the Bj'oke had been struck by a 
torpedo, and began to pull off his boots so that 
they might not hinder him should he suddenly 
find himself in the sea. Rawle clung to his 
wheel, forgetting his wounds for the time, being 
determined "to see the thing through". 

Locked tooether the Broke and the German 

o 

vessel continued to fight. The enemy's decks 
were swept "at point-blank range with every 
gun", says an eye-witness, "from main armament 
to pom-pom, Maxim, rifle, and pistols". Two 
German destroyers which were hovering near 
were meanwhile firing furiously at the Broke, 
wounding and killing many. "The foremost guns' 
crews were reduced from eighteen men to six", 
but the survivors kept the guns in action. 

A crowd of Germans rushed forward on the 
deck of the rammed destroyer to board the Broke, 
some to fight, but most of them with desire to 
save their lives by escaping from their doomed 
vessel. 

A machine-gun scattered a group of armed 
boarders in a twinkling as they climbed on to 



A FAMOUS DESTROYER BATTLE 157 

the Broke s deck. Others, however, managed to 
swarm over and on to the forecastle and rush 
past the gunners. The British bluejackets were 
ready, however, for any emergency. Cutlasses 
and rifles with fixed bayonets were at hand and 
were promptly made use of. Those Germans 
who gave themselves up were spared, but those 
who showed fight had to be promptly dealt with. 

A cowardly attack was made by a big bluster- 
ing German on that gallant midshipman Donald 
A. Gyles, who was one of the heroes of the fray. 
A shell from an enemy destroyer had struck the 
Broke ere she rammed the enemy and carried 
away a part of the superstructure of the bridge. 
Several of the crew were killed and wounded. 
" I myself", Gyles has told, "was struck by a 
fragment of shrapnel which pierced my right eye. 
I was also wounded in my right leg and right 
arm." He had been thrown down and stunned, 
but he recovered quickly, and carried out his 
duties with courage and skill. When the fore- 
most guns' crews were suddenly reduced by the 
fire of the two German destroyers after the Broke 
rammed its victim, he loaded the starboard gun, 
while Able Seaman Ingleson loaded the port gun. 
The firing was thus kept up with vigour. "Owing 
to the great quantity of blood which was pouring 
down my face from my wounded eye," Gyles 
tells, " I experienced great difficulty in doing my 
work." 

The midshipman's own account of what fol- 



158 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

lowed is very graphic. "Whilst", he says, "we 
were firing, several Germans managed to board 
us, yelling- all the time for mercy, and saying 
other things we could not understand. They 
rushed along the decks and endeavoured to 
attack us, and I pointed my revolver at them 
and ordered them to go forward. Then one 
burly German — a regular giant — made a lunge 
at me and got hold of my wrist, endeavouring 
to wrench my revolver from me. But he did not 
succeed. Petty Officer Woodfield aimed a blow 
at him, which, however, he managed to avoid. 
He then dashed round our gun and endeavoured 
to attack me from the rear, but he was run through 
by a cutlass by Able Seaman Ingleson. We 
threw his body overboard. Then we cleared the 
decks of the remaining Germans, whom we made 
prisoners. Later, we discovered two others hiding 
in the forecastle. These we also made prisoners." 
Two of the Germans pretended they were dead 
as they lay on the deck. Some of the British 
tars who could not obtain arms in time had used 
their fists against the boarders, with the desired 
effect. 

All this happened more quickly than it takes' 
to tell. The Broke remained for only about two 
minutes locked with her adversary. The gallant 
steersman Rawle was obeying orders at the wheel, 
and down below the command to "back water" 
was carried out promptly. Then the Broke 
wrenched herself free and slued away to attack 



A FAMOUS DESTROYER BATTLE 159 

the other destroyers. As Rawle brought round 
the helm he saw the rammed destroyer lying 
under the port bow with only her fore part 
visible. The sight nerved him to endure his 
wounds, and he smiled and kept smiling. " I 
have been smiling ever since," he declared in 
hospital afterwards. 

Then followed another thrilling incident. The 
Broke raced through the darkness, gathering 
speed once again, and was suddenly slued round 
to ram the last boat in the German line, its guns 
in full blaze, but the enemy managed to evade 
the blow. A torpedo which was discharged as 
she raced forward, however, struck the stern of 
another destroyer as it " turned tail " to escape. 

Both these vessels were now in fligfht, with 
their guns in action, and the B^'oke hung on to 
them, speeding in the direction that the Swift 
had been seen to take in pursuit of the leading 
German vessel. Then the Broke was partly 
crippled by an enemy shell which crashed into 
the boiler-room, doing damage to the main en- 
gines. Her speed was at once reduced, and the 
two destroyers were able to race away in the 
darkness and vanish from sight. 

The Brokes course was then altered. She 
headed in the direction of a German destroyer 
which was seen to be on fire. As soon as its 
crew caught sight of the Broke they began to 
shout together: "Save! save! save!" It was 
dangerous to approach her, for if the fire should 



i6o FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

reach the magazines she would blow up, and 
probably wreck the British vessel. But the com- 
mander of the Broke risked his vessel and the 
lives of all on board, by steering towards the 
enemy, with the object of saving its officers and 
crew from an awful death. 

Then came an ugly act of treachery. As the 
Broke drew near, with reduced speed, the enemy 
suddenly opened fire. A shell crashed into the 
aft stokehold of the British vessel, putting her out 
of control for the time being. Four rounds were 
fired from the Broke in return, and a torpedo was 
launched with effect, for it struck the enemy vessel 
amidships and sent her to the bottom. The man 
who released the torpedo was killed a second later 
by a shell splinter, which struck his head. 

It was a thrilling end to a brief but eventful 
night battle. The Broke was no longer able to 
sweep through the darkness in search of surviv- 
ing enemy craft. It lay alone in triumph, having 
fought and won a good fight. 

Able Seaman Rawle, clinging to the steering 
wheel, felt his strength giving way. So he 
shouted to the captain, " I'm going off now, sir," 
and then fell on deck in a faint. It was thus that 
it came to be known the orallant steersman had 
been wounded. There were others who, like 
him, had also kept secret the fact that they had 
received injuries. A stoker who had a splinter 
of shrapnel in his head was asked by the surgeon 
why he had not asked sooner to be treated. His 



A FAMOUS DESTROYER BATTLE i6i 

answer was: "I was too busy, sir, clearing up 
that rubbish on the stoker's mess deck." 

Under guard of armed men the German 
prisoners, with scared and wondering faces, 
watched the British tars, who, despite their 
wounds or weariness after stiff fighting, were all 
in great spirits. It was evident they thought it 
a privilege to have had the chance of striking 
a blow at the enemy. 

While the Broke was winning great glory in 
its fight against great odds, the Swift gave up 
the chase of the leading German vessel on account 
of injuries from shell fire, which hindered her 
speed, and turned back to deal with other craft. 
A stationary destroyer was sighted in the darkness, 
and she steamed towards her. It was a German 
vessel, and its crew were shouting together over 
and over again, "We surrender! we surrender! 
we surrender!" 

The Stvift went forward cautiously with every 
gun loaded and trained on the enemy. It was 
necessary to be on guard, for German trickery 
and treachery had been experienced more than 
once in previous battles. This vessel proved to 
be the destroyer which had been rammed by the 
Broke a few minutes earlier, and it soon became 
evident that she was doomed. Her crew sud- 
denly stopped shouting in the darkness, and as 
there were no other enemy vessels in sight, the 
Swift turned on her search-lights. The crippled 
destroyer was seen to be heeling over, while her 



i62 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

crew, with life-belts on, began to leap into the 
sea. Slowly sank the destroyer, stern first. It 
was no longer able to strike a blow. Commander 
Peck at once gave orders, in accordance with the 
traditions of the British navy, to rescue the 
enemy. Boats were lowered to pick up the sur- 
vivors in the flare of search-lights, and a large 
number were rescued. 

About this time the Broke was located. Her 
electric circuits had been cut by shell fire, but 
sig^nals were flashed through the darkness from 
an electric torch. When the commanders of the 
Broke and the Sivift had related their experi- 
ences one to the other, the crews of both vessels 
were informed of the details of the fighting, and 
at once raised loud and hearty cheers, which rang 
through the darkness again and again. Then 
the fact was realized by all that the exciting and 
decisive little battle had lasted for only about five 
minutes. Two British vessels had met, fought, 
and defeated six Germans. The Germans had 
been outfought and outmancEuvred most thor- 
oughly. Two had been sunk for certain, a third 
probably went down also in the darkness. The 
others had been more or less heavily damaged 
by shell fire. 

When the surviving German destroyers reached 
their ports, exaggerated stories were told regard- 
ing the British force which had attacked the 
fiotilla. It was described as "a great number 
of enemy destroyers and leader ships ". No 



A FAMOUS DESTROYER BATTLE 163 

doubt the Germans did really believe that they 
had encountered several vessels, instead of two 
only, for these two had struck so hard, and 
manoeuvred so quickly and decisively, that they 
seemed to be a host in themselves. "They had 
made circles round the enemy ", as one writer has 
aptly put it. 

But the Germans were not content with multi- 
plying the number of the attackers. They 
actually boasted of having fought well. In their 
official account it was stated that "an enemy 
leader ship was sunk by a torpedo, several others 
were heavily damaged by artillery hits; one of 
the latter was probably sunk in the same manner ". 
Had there been another British destroyer with 
the Broke and Swift, it is possible that not a 
single German vessel would have escaped to tell 
a fairy story like this. 

Commander Evans of the Broke, who fought 
such a gallant fight, was second in command of 
the Antarctic Expedition led by Captain Scott. 
He was in charge of the destroyer Mohawk in 
the early stages of the war, when this vessel bom- 
barded the right wing of the German army on 
the Belgian coast. Afterwards he commanded 
the destroyers Viking and Crusader in turn, and 
had many scraps with submarines and other 
enemy craft before commanding the Broke, which 
he has now made famous. 

Commander Peck served during the South 
African War, and when a lieutenant on the Doris 



i64 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

landed in command of a force which defended 
Mossel Bay for nearly a month. He had made 
a name for himself as a gunnery expert before 
the outbreak of war, and was gunnery officer of 
the light cruiser Diamond, attached to a destroyer 
flotilla. From this post he was raised to the rank 
of commander. 

Midshipman Donald A. Gyles was nineteen 
years of age, and had been four years at sea 
when he took part in the destroyer battle. He 
joined the battleship London just before war 
broke out, and served in the Mediterranean. His 
baptism of fire was received at the Dardanelles, 
and he served throughout the whole campaign. 
At Gaba Tepe he helped to land the gallant 
Australian force under heavy fire. He was twice 
wounded, and on recovering the second time was 
appointed to the Broke on the Dover patrol. 

The destroyer Swift was a ten-year-old boat 
when she went into the fight. For several years 
before the war she was the only vessel of her 
class in the world, being something between a 
destroyer and light cruiser, with a speed of about 
36 knots. In the navy she was nicknamed "Wire- 
less Incarnate", because she sped so quickly in 
all weathers, and also " Boy Scout ", because of 
her size. The Broke is a newer boat, and a 
sister ship of the Tipperary, a leading destroyei 
which went down fighting against great odds in 
the Jutland batde. 



GIRL'S FLIGHT IN AN 
AEROPLANE 

Marya Simitch had often heard stories from her 
old nurse Bettye of goblins that flew through the 
air like white owls, and sometimes carried away 
children to their dens among the mountains, where 
they lived for long years and never grew old. 
There was one story she liked particularly well. 
It was about a girl who liked to live among the 
goblins, because they took her out to fly with 
them every night in moonlight or starlight, and 
showed her all the wonders of the world. Marya 
often wished she could make friends with a goblin 
who would teach her to fly like that little girl, 
but she never expected that the day would come 
when she would know how it felt to soar hieh in 
the air, and skim over hills and valleys, and over 
lakes and rivers, with the ease and speed of a 
bird in flight. 

For some time past she has been living in 
Salonika, and she laughs now when she tells how 
it all came about. Her home is at Nish in Serbia, 
and when war broke out her father, who is an 
officer in the Serbian army, left home to fight 
against his country's enemies. Her mother took 
ill, and after lying in bed for many months was 



i66 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

sent to Salonika to regain her strength. Marya 
remained behind with her two brothers, Gioke 
and Draguten, in charge of Bettye, the old house- 
keeper, so that they might attend school. All 
went well until the armies of Austrians, Germans, 
and Bulgarians began to invade Serbia in over- 
whelming forces, and the brave native soldiers 
were forced to retreat before them. One October 
morning the boys came home from school to tell 
Bettye that everyone was preparing to leave Nish 
because the enemy were nearer at hand. 

"We are going away with the teachers," they 
said; "and you, Bettye, must look after Marya 
and take her to Salonika." 

The old housekeeper was thrown into a great 
state of alarm. She locked up the house, and, 
having filled a handbag with food and clothing, 
hastened away to the station in the hope that she 
would be able to travel by train. But the station 
was packed with refugees, and she saw three 
trains leaving without being able to get near 
them. In time, however, she met an officer who 
knew Marya's father, and he found seats for her 
and the little girl in the guard's van of a goods 
train which was going to Macedonia with military 
stores. They travelled all night until they reached 
Veles. Then they were told to leave the train, 
because a force of Bulgarians was at hand. 

The dawn was breaking on a cold clear sky 
when Bettye walked out of the station clutching 
Marya by the hand. Hundreds of homeless 



GIRL'S FLIGHT IN AN AEROPLANE 167 

refugees crowded the roads, and all were hasten- 
ing westward to escape from the enemy. It was 
a pitiful sight to see weary women carrying babes 
on their backs, old men pushing hand-carts on 
which were piles of bedding and furniture, and 
children and cripples, driving footsore cattle before 
them, while the air resounded with cries of sorrow 
and pain, "The Bulgars are coming," one told 
the other, "and death awaits all who remain." 

Marya walked many miles before the sun rose 
high, and then grew so weary that she wanted to 
lie down by the roadside and go to sleep. Bettye 
gave her some food and drew water from a well, 
but even after she had rested for a time the little 
girl was quite unable to walk any farther. A 
man who was driving an ox-wagon took pity on 
her. " I think I can find room for her," he said 
with a smile. As he spoke he lifted Marya in his 
strong arms, and placed her beside his own chil- 
dren, who were crouching together on a bale of 
hay on the heavily-loaded wagon which carried 
all his worldly possessions. 

The oxen walked slowly, and often the wheels 
of the wagon stuck in the deep ruts on the rough 
highway, but there were always many refugees at 
hand who were glad to give their aid, so that they 
might be allowed to hold on to the wagon as they 
trudged wearily on their way. Marya fell fast 
asleep, and did not wake up until they reached a 
little village on the road to Brod. It was there 
that the little girl met with her "goblin", as she 



i68 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

now calls him. He was not a " real goblin ", as 
she says, " but a very polite French airman, who 
was doing service in the Serbian army". 

The Frenchman's aeroplane had broken down, 
but he had landed safely near the village, and 
was trying to repair his machine with the assist- 
ance of a blacksmith. He had been in action 
that morning, and his observer had been wounded 
and was lying in the blacksmith's house with his 
head wrapped in white bandages. As good luck 
would have it Bettye knew the blacksmith, a man 
named Bogosav, who, like herself, came from a 
villaore in Bosnia. Boo'osav g-ave her a warm 
welcome, and invited her and Marya to his house. 

"You shall stay with me," he said, "until this 
trouble passes over." 

Like many others he believed that the Bulgars 
would soon be driven back over the frontier, but 
Bettye had heard enough from the soldiers to 
make her doubt this. 

When she had got little Marya to sleep she 
helped to nurse the wounded Frenchman. She 
was very skilled at dressing wounds, and was able 
to give the sufferer much relief from pain, and he 
felt very grateful to her. Bettye could speak 
French, for she had lived in Paris a few years in 
the service of the Serbian ambassador, and the 
Frenchman was greatly delighted to hear his own 
language in that strange land. 

" You had better lie down and sleep," Bettye 
said, "you will feel much stronger afterwards." 



GIRL'S FLIGHT IN AN AEROPLANE 169 

" Whether I am strong or weak I must leave 
to-morrow morning," said he. 

"You are not afraid to fly?" 

The Frenchman laughed. "Oh no, there is 
nothinor to be afraid of." 

" The Bulgars may shoot at you." 

" We are not going near the Bulgars to-morrow ; 
our orders are to return to Salonika." 

" How long will it take you to get there?" 

" A few hours at most." 

" And there is no fear of the aeroplane breaking 
down?" 

" The pilot won't leave until he is sure it is 
quite safe to fly. Don't worry about that. I 
shall be safer in the aeroplane than if I remained 
here," 

Bettye went outside to look at the wonderful 
flying machine, and suddenly an idea took hold 
of her. She was anxious that Marya should reach 
Salonika safely, and as quickly as possible. Why 
should she not go in the aeroplane? 

She walked towards the Frenchman, who was 
busy repairing the machine with the aid of the 
blacksmith. After a time she entered into con- 
versation with him. 

" How is my friend?" he asked her. 

" He has lain down to sleep," Bettye answered. 
" He will feel very much better after he has had 
a good rest." 

Then she began to tell him about her troubles, 
and to plead with him to help her. 

(C903) 12 



I70 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

"We have come from Nish," she said. "The 
little girl's name is Marya, and she is an officer's 
daughter. Her mother is an invalid, and is staying 
at present at Salonika. If anything happens to 
the child she will certainly die of sorrow. Won't 
you take Marya with you?" 

"Oh! it is impossible." 

" Don't say that. She would not require much 
room. She could sit between your friend's knees.' 

" No, no, I cannot consent to risk the child's 
life." 

" She may be killed if she is left behind." 

" There is no fear of that." 

"Or she may die of hunger." 

" I am sorry for you and for her," sighed the 
Frenchman, "but I can do nothing." 

"And what about Marya's mother?" Bettye 
went on. "The dear lady will break her heart 
when she hears that the child is left here to the 
mercy of the enemy." 

The Frenchman shrugged his shoulders. He 
was sorry for Bettye and the child, but what could 
he do? 

" I shall take a message to Madame at Salonika," 
he said, "and assure her that Marya is well and 
in your safe-keeping." 

" That will not comfort her greatly. She knows 
that the enemy will show us small pity." 

"You'll be asking me next to take yourself as 
well as the child," the Frenchman said with an 
uneasy laugh. 



GIRL'S FLIGHT IN AN AEROPLANE 171 

" No, no," cried Bettye. " I will be satisfied 
if you will carry Marya only to Salonika. Never 
mind me. I may be able to hide among the 
mountains. Oh, say you will take my little Marya 
with you!" 

"There you go again! How often must I say 
I cannot do it? Please go away and let me get 
on with my work." The Frenchman turned from 
her as he spoke. He was ill at ease, but had to 
be firm. 

Bettye heaved a deep sigh and wiped tears from 
her eyes. " Think over what I have said to you," 
she pleaded as she left the airman to return to the 
blacksmith's house. • 

It was a clear starlight night, with hardly a 
breath of wind. The owls were hooting from the 
hill-side, and now and ag^ain shafts of liofht elittered 
in the eastern sky. Bettye knew that the enemy 
were not far off, for there were their search- 
lights. 

The wounded Frenchman had wakened up and 
was sitting- beside the blacksmith's fire drinkinof 
hot milk. 

" How do you feel now?" Bettye asked him. 

" Much stronger," was his answer. " I think 
I shall be able to get away after all." 

" How glad I am!" smiled the old woman. 

" It is very kind of you to say that." 

" If the Bulgars found you here they would put 
you to death." 

" Do you think so?" 



172 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

** I am sure of it." 

"And what about you and the others?" asked 
the wounded man with concern. 

Bettye shook her head. "Alas!" she sighed, 
" we cannot hope for mercy." 

The Frenchman shrugged his shoulders and 
eazed at the fire in silence. Then he said: "If 
you think your life is in danger you should escape 
while yet there is time." 

" The child is very weary," said Bettye. " She 
cannot walk far." 

" Oh, but the Bulgars would never injure a 
child." 

"You must know," Bettye said, "that she is 
the daughter of a Serbian officer, a very brave 
man, who is hated by his enemies. I dread to 
think what may become of her if she falls into 
Bulgar hands." 

" Poor little sfirl!" exclaimed the Frenchman. 
" How sweet and innocent she looks in her sleep! 
I have a little girl of my own who is about the 
same aofe. What is her name?" 

" Her name is Marya." 

" And my child is called Henrietta." 

" Then thank God she is not here," Bettye 
exclaimed with flashing eyes. 

"You must do your best to protect that child," 
said the Frenchman. " Let no harm come to 
her. See how she smiles in her sleep! My little 
Henrietta smiles like that. How like children 
are to one another!" 



GIRL'S FLIGHT IN AN AEROPLANE 173 

" I am afraid I cannot do much," Bettye sighed. 

"Oh, do not say that!" 

" But you can save her if you choose," the old 
woman said firmly. 

"Me? Why, I am wounded and helpless, as 
you see." 

" Take her with you to Salonika." 

The Frenchman was struck dumb with amaze. 
Bettye spoke to him as if she had a right to give 
him orders. "You must not leave the child here," 
she went on. " Her mother is ill at Salonika, 
and would die with grief if any harm came to her 
daughter." 

" But I cannot take the child, I say." 

"You must," Bettye urged. "You dare not 
leave her behind. Think of your own little 
Henrietta — God bless her and protect her! What 
would you do if she were here now and in peril, 
like my sweet Marya? Would you leave her to 
fall into the hands of your enemies?" 

The Frenchman was silent, but Bettye read 
his thoughts and knew she had made a friend. 
She waited for his answer as he stared at the fire 
with flushed cheeks and tears in his eyes, think- 
ing of his own little girl in distant France. At 
length he spoke in a low whisper: " What is your 
plan?" he asked. 

Bettye smiled. " I shall place the child in your 
flying- machine when the pilot is not looking. 
Then you can take your place and conceal her 
under your legs." 



174 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

"Very well, I promise to do as you desire," the 
Frenchman said with emotion, " Give me the 
name and address of the child's mother." 

Bettye threw her arms round his neck and 
kissed his cheeks. 

When dawn was breaking, the blacksmith came 
in to tell that the aeroplane had been repaired, 
and he asked Bettye to cook a breakfast for the 
two airmen. This she did, and as the French- 
men sat at table she stole out of the house carry- 
ing the sleeping child in her arms and laid her 
below the observer's seat. Marya was well 
wrapped up and never stirred, so deep was her 
slumber. Then the old woman hastened back to 
the house. 

When the men were ready to leave, Bettye took 
the observer's arm and said: "I shall help you 
into the machine." 

" Oh, I am quite fit to walk, and even to 
climb," he smiled, 

" One would think the old lady was your 
mother," laughed the pilot. 

Bettye assisted the pilot to climb into the aero- 
plane and then kissed him again. "Good-bye," 
she said, "and may you have a safe journey!" 

"Thank you, thank you! I will never forget 
you, Bettye," the observer assured her. As he 
spoke he drew a thick rug over his knees, con- 
cealing the little child who lay at his feet fast 
asleep. 

"Good-bye!" Bettye called to the pilot, who 



GIRL'S FLIGHT IN AN AEROPLANE 175 

had started the propeller, which roared like a 
tempest in a deep forest. 

"Good-bye!" he answered. "Look well after 
the child." Then he climbed to his seat. 

Bettye nodded with a smile, and he waved his 
hand to her. Then the aeroplane darted across 
the level plain and soon afterwards began to soar. 
The sun was rising in a cloudless sky. Every- 
thing promised well for a safe and speedy flight 
to Salonika. 

Bettye watched the wonderful machine as it 
climbed through the air like a giant bird in flight, 
its graceful form sharply outlined against the 
golden sky. Then she knelt down and prayed, 
while tears streamed down her old withered 
cheeks. 

Little Marya awoke just as the aeroplane was 
rising from the ground. " I did not know where 
I was," she tells. "The boards shook beneath 
me, and I heard a terrible noise — the noise of 
the engine — and the first thing I thought of was 
a big gun. It seemed to me that the enemy 
were very near. I sprang up, and found myself 
in the arms of the wounded Frenchman whom 
I had seen in the blacksmith's house. He patted 
me and smiled, but I could not make myself 
heard when I spoke to him, asking 'Where am 
I?' because of the noise. ... I felt myself being 
lifted up, and I looked round and about, and then, 
all at once, I came to know that I was in an 
aeroplane. I was dreadfully frightened, and the 



176 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Frenchman patted me again and again, and kept 
smiling and nodding, as if he wanted to say 
'You are quite safe here. I'll look after you.' 
After a time the aeroplane stopped climbing and 
began to skim forward through the air. I did 
not know it was moving, however, until I peeped 
over the side and saw the ground flying away 
from us. The Frenchman was holding me firmly, 
and drew me back again, and I looked up in his 
face and said: 'Where is Bettye?' But, of course, 
he couldn't hear a word, and, as I found after- 
wards, he did not understand our language." 

The French observer told a hospital nurse the 
whole story about Marya's flight through the 
air. " She seemed very much afraid at first," he 
said. " I felt very sorry for her. Her lips kept 
moving, and I knew she was asking questions, 
but I couldn't hear her voice. But her eyes 
seemed to say: 'Do tell me where I am?' I held 
her firmly in my arms and got her to peep over 
the side of the car. When she understood where 
she was, and saw a river far below, she darted 
back, trembling with fear, and began to sob. But 
I nursed her as if she were a little baby, and after 
a time she became quite brave. At first she looked 
for a long time at the clouds. Then she began 
to examine the aeroplane, running her eyes along 
the wings. I set her standing on her feet, and 
once when a bird went flying past she turned 
round to me and smiled. The sight of that bird 
seemed to make her feel quite safe. After a time 



GIRL'S FLIGHT IN AN AEROPLANE 177 

she wanted to peep over the side of the car again, 
and I held her firmly. She gave one glance and 
darted back. A few minutes went past. Then 
she had another peep, and for quite a long time 
kept looking steadily at the mountains beneath. 
I drew her back into my arms and found she was 
smiling brightly. I thought her the pluckiest 
little girl I had ever met, so I kissed her cheeks. 
Then I made her sit down at my feet. 'You 
must be very hungry,' I said. I gave her a piece 
of white bread and she ate it greedily, and as 
she seemed to be feeling cold I wrapped round 
about her a shawl Bettye had placed over the seat. 
Then I opened my thermos flask and poured out 
hot coffee for her. The car was shaking- with the 
constant thumping of the engine, and she spilled 
a good deal of the coffee, but she drank enough 
and ate enough bread to satisfy her hunger, and 
I was sflad to see a flush cominof into her cheeks. 

"Soon after she had breakfast we began to pass 
over a town, and I made her rise up and peer 
over the side of the car. She almost jumped out 
of my arms with delight, and when I drew her 
back her eyes were dancing with excitement. 
She was beginning to enjoy herself very much. 

" It was about this time that the pilot looked 
round and caught a glimpse of the little girl. I 
shall never forget the expression of his face. His 
jaw dropped, and he jerked his head as much as 
to say: 'Did the little girl drop down out of the 
clouds?' I knew we were already half-way to 



lyS FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Salonika, and felt quite happy that Marya was 
far beyond the reach of her country's enemies. 
' What a scolding I shall get when we come down 
to earth again!' I said to myself" 

Marya tells that she felt quite sorry when the 
aeroplane began to descend at Salonika. She 
had just had a glimpse of the sea, which she had 
never beheld before, when the machine began to 
curve round and round in the air as it dropped 
down gradually to a safe landing-place. 

" I wonder you did not die of fright," her 
mother said to her afterwards. 

" I was very much afraid at first," said the little 
girl, "but I remembered Bettye's story about the 
little girl who was taken away by the goblins, and 
I thought I was just like her. Then I felt quite 
at home. The litde girl in the story enjoyed 
flying through the air and so did I, but the 
Frenchman would not let me look over the side 
as often as I wished to. I remember seeing a 
town. The people were passing up and down 
the streets, and the oxen, drawing wagons, looked 
no bigger than flies crawling on a window pane. 
I also saw a river, and it looked like a white rope 
lying on the ground. I saw two lakes, and the 
birds flying over them, but I was far above the 
birds, and the clouds seemed to be quite close to 
the flying-machine. Once a big bird flew quite 
near to us. Its wings were stretched out wide, 
and did not seem to move. It was just floating 
on the air. The bird had sharp little eyes, and 



GIRL'S FLIGHT IN AN AEROPLANE 179 

looked at me for a moment, and then went slidinof 
away until it seemed no bigger than a mouse." 

" Would you like to fly again?" 

" Oh, yes!" Marya answered, clapping her hands 
with delight. " I should enjoy it better now that 
I know what it is like." 

When the aeroplane landed outside Salonika, 
the pilot began to scold his observer. Marya 
was unable to understand a word he said, but he 
seemed to be very angry. The wounded man 
did not say much in reply, but the girl knew he 
was speaking about her, for he repeated her name 
over and over again, and spoke also of Henrietta, 
his own little girl at home in distant France. 

The pilot jumped down from his seat, and lifted 
Marya from the aeroplane. Before he set her 
down on the ground he kissed her once or twice, 
and the little girl put her arms round his neck 
and kissed him also. 

Marya was carried to a motor-car, and the 
wounded Frenchman and she were taken to the 
house in which her mother was staying. Mrs. 
Simitch had been worrying a great deal about 
her children and looked very pale, but when 
Marya entered her room in the arms of the 
Frenchman she was quite overjoyed. " Oh, my 
own dear Marya!" she cried, with tears streaming 
down her face. " Thank God you are here with 
me at last!" 

Three weeks later word came from Vallona on 
the Adriatic coast that Marya's two brothers had 



i8o FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

arrived there safe and well. They had walked 
a long distance with other refugees through Al- 
bania and Montenegro, and suffered greatly from 
cold and want of food. Several boys had died on 
the way. 

The good news of her children's safety cheered 
Mrs. Simitch greatly, and she soon grew wonder- 
fully strong again. When her husband was able 
to visit her in Salonika, he found that she was 
walking out daily with little Marya, who was 
known to all the French soldiers as *' The little 
Serbian Air Girl ". 



WILD LIFE IN THE TRENCHES 

Life in the trenches has brought many men into 
close touch with Nature, and made them take a 
great interest in birds and other wild animals 
whose haunts had been rudely disturbed by the 
clamour and ravages of war. Flocks of migrating 
swallows have been seen, at times, in France and 
Italy, scattering in confusion through the drifting 
smoke of the big guns, but still they have con- 
tinued to migrate southward and northward in 
season as of old without changing their routes in 
flight. Airmen tell that they sometimes meet in 
France with swarms of birds soaring high above 
the clouds. In February, 191 7, one flying man saw 
great flocks of migrating plovers at a height of 
about 6000 feet. 

Among the lovely Vosges mountains herds of 
wild pigs have been driven from their lairs by 
bursting shells. Some have scampered into camps, 
where they were promptly hunted down to pro- 
vide a change of diet for the fighting men. One 
day a wild boar charged down a trench, and 
wounded two French soldiers before it was laid 
low by a well-directed bullet. 

181 



i82- FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Sometimes swarms of hares and rabbits have 
scrambled amidst the network of trenches, seeking 
refuge from shrapnel and bullets, only to be seized 
by ready hands and sent to the cook house. 

Rats showed no signs of alarm. They clung 
to the new haunts of men, made themselves at 
home, and increased in numbers. In trenches 
and dug-outs they found numerous scraps of food 
and fared well. But they proved a great nuisance 
to the soldiers, especially at night, by running 
over their bodies as they lay asleep in their dug- 
outs, and nibbling and scraping in every corner 
in the darkness. 

In France singing birds became accustomed to 
gun-fire, and after a bombardment lasting several 
hours, could be heard chirping among the branches 
of trees which concealed the guns. They even 
made friends with the British gunners, who threw 
crumbs to them. 

One early spring morning, while a little company 
of blackbirds, thrushes, robins, and sparrows were 
feeding on scraps that were laid for them on the 
frosty ground, a big scared -looking cat came 
creeping stealthily from the ruins of a village near 
by. The birds rose fluttering and chirping ex- 
citedly, but pussy scarcely glanced at them. It 
had caught a glimpse of an artillery officer peering 
out of his dug-out, and ran towards him. " Pussy, 
pussy!" he called softly. The ruffled animal 
rubbed itself against his leg, and, when it had 
been stroked gently, began to purr with delight. 



WILD LIFE IN THE TRENCHES 183 

It had been somebody's pet, and seemed glad to 
be among human friends again. Some condensed 
milk was poured into a pannikin, and the hungry 
cat licked it up greedily, pausing now and again 
to look with solemn tender eyes at its new friend, 
who kept repeating: "Poor old pussy; poor old 
girl; get on with your breakfast." 

The cat finished the milk, licking the pannikin 
quite dry. Then it lay down to smooth out its 
coat, evidendy feeling quite at home. 

On a branch of an apple tree which hung over 
the entrance to the dug-out a litde red-breasted 
robin watched the cat intendy. It seemed to be 
gready annoyed at pussy's presence, and kept 
hopping to right and to left, bunching out its 
feathers and chirping excitedly, as if telling the 
other birds what was happening. The officer 
watched all that was going on as he ate his 
breakfast at the door of the dug-out. The cat, 
having finished its toilet, crept between the officer's 
legs, and began to take a keen interest in the 
robin, who chirped louder and faster, as if calling 
out, "Here he comes! he's actually staring at me. 
'Mr. Impudence'— that's what I call him." He 
was joined by two other "robins and a sparrow, 
while a couple of wrens began to scamper up and 
down the trunk of the tree. All the birds chirped 
together as if trying to scare the intruder. Pussy 
bent his legs, fluffed his tail, and showed his teeth 
as it crept forward, ready to pounce on a bird 
bold enough to come within reach. 



i84 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

A gun team close at hand was preparing for 
the morning bombardment, while an officer shouted 
commands through a megaphone. Then suddenly 
a gun bellowed with a deafening crash. Pussy 
sprang into the air with alarm, and bounding back 
into the dug-out, crept under some clothing and 
lay still. But the birds never moved. They 
were accustomed to gun-fire, and knew it didn't 
hurt. What seemed of more interest to them 
was the fact that the cat had disappeared. Then 
the robin who had given the alarm began to think 
about its rights, and drove the other robins off its 
branch. 

When fighting on the Gallipoli Peninsula our 
soldiers could not help becoming amateur natural- 
ists. The district was teeming with wild life, 
and seemed just like a natural zoo. Hyaenas 
prowled through the scrub, and growled and 
showed their sharp white teeth when soldiers sud- 
denly roused them from their hiding - places. 
Being cowardly animals, they usually took flight 
at once. One day a big Highlander was crawling 
through a clump of bushes to spy on the Turkish 
lines, when he roused a hysena. It sprang up, with 
its back against a ridge of rock which jutted out 
of the soil, and snarled at him like an angry dog. 
He did not wish to fire, because he knew there 
were Turkish snipers not far distant, and it seemed 
to him as if the hyaena knew this too. So he 
could do nothing else but stare at the fierce brute, 
which looked as if it were about to spring at him. 



WILD LIFE IN THE TRENCHES 185 

By and by it quailed before his steady gaze, and 
began to edge round the rock. Remembering 
he had read somewhere that wild animals can- 
not resist the power of the human eye, he fol- 
lowed its movements, staring as fiercely as he 
could, and not moving a muscle of his face or 
making any sound. The hyaena grew more and 
more uncomfortable, and began to blink like one 
who comes out of the darkness into a brightly-lit 
room. Then it suddenly turned tail and fled. 
The Turkish snipers caught sight of it a few 
minutes later, and a shower of bullets spattered 
all round the soldier, who crept forward to take 
shelter behind the rock. He lay very still. Some 
time afterwards, when he moved forward again, 
he caught a glimpse of the hysena's body lying in 
the long grass. The snipers had caught it in 
their fire, thinking, no doubt, they had disposed 
of a British soldier. 

During lulls in the fighting the British and 
Turkish fiorhtincr men held what mioht be called 
sporting competitions. In the month of Septem- 
ber large numbers of pelican migrated from the 
shores of the /Egean Sea towards Egypt. They 
flew over the peninsula in V-shaped flocks, and 
as soon as a flock appeared in the sky, fire was 
opened on them with rifles and machine-guns. 

One afternoon a flock, which seemed to have 
come a long distance, began to wheel round in the 
air as if preparing to settle down on the Salt 
Lake marsh in Suvla Bay. Suddenly a British 

(0 903) 13 



i86 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

machine-gun sent a rippling stream of bullets 
towards the birds. Not a single pelican was 
struck, but the whole flock at once became greatly 
agitated. Then the onlookers noticed that they 
were under the command of a leader, who made 
them behave like well-trained soldiers under fire. 
Shrill screams, like words of command, came 
through the air, and the birds rose up in extended 
formation until they were far beyond range and 
quite safe from attack. Then they continued 
their flight towards Egypt. As they passed over 
the Turkish lines, several volleys from machine- 
guns were fired at them; but the clamour only 
made them fly faster, and ere long they vanished 
from sight. 

After this the British "Tommies" and "Jocks", 
and the "Johnny Turks", as our soldiers called 
their enemies, crouched low in their trenches 
again, waiting for the next flock of pelican. 
Sometimes, as the birds flew overhead, one was 
brought down, but it was hardly worth the am- 
munition wasted upon it. The men on both 
sides, however, seemed to find the sport exciting, 
and cheers broke from the trenches when a shot 
"got home", and a long-necked pelican came 
tumbling down through the air from what our 
soldiers called " the flying regiments ". 

Lots of tortoises crawled about the Gallipoli 
trenches, and some of our men tried to make pets 
of those they laid hands on. But a tortoise is 
never in a hurry to make friends. It is never in 



WILD LIFE IN THE TRENCHES 187 

a hurry to do anything. A corporal, who kept 
one tied to a post for a week, coaxed it at length 
to feed out of his hand, and when he thought it 
had grown quite tame allowed it to go free. As 
soon as evening came on it vanished and was 
never seen again. "You should try and tame 
a scorpion next," a friend advised the "tortoise 
tamer", as he called the corporal. " No, thanks!" 
was the prompt reply. All the soldiers hated 
the scorpions with their bright-red armour plates, 
crab-like toes, and uncanny sting-tipped tails, and 
killed them at sight. Snakes were also dreaded. 
They came creeping into the dug-outs, and caused 
many a soldier to jump up with a shout of alarm. 
One morning, soon after dawn, a big Yorkshire- 
man woke up to find a snake coiled up on his 
blanket. He flung the blanket and snake right 
out of the dug-out, and then, seizing a trench 
spade, struck at the squirming reptile with such 
force that he not only cut it in two, but made 
great rents in the blanket also. It was the first 
live snake he had ever seen, and he thought the 
sergeant who told him that it was a non-poisonous 
one was only making fun of him. " Snakes are 
snakes all the same," he declared. " Do you ex- 
pect a man to wait and see if he's going to be 
stung before he strikes at one?" There are, of 
course, poisonous as well as non-poisonous snakes 
on the peninsula. 

Then there were the flies, which were even 
more troublesome than the scorpions or the snakes! 



i88 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

It seemed as if Gallipoli was always suffering 
from a plague of flies, and our men remembered 
the Bible story of fly plague in ancient Egypt, 
in which Moses repeats to Pharaoh the Divine 
message: " I will send swarms of flies upon thee, 
and upon thy servants and upon thy people, and 
into thy houses : and the houses of the Egyptians 
shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the gfround 
whereon they are. . . . And the Lord did so. . . . 
The land was corrupted by reason of the swarm 
of flies." 

Black clouds of flies came through the air as 
soon as our men had settled down in their Gallipoli 
trenches; the insects crawled over the ground, 
they blackened the dug-outs, they covered men's 
bodies; they attacked the mules and made them 
kick and snort and lash themselves with their 
tufted tails ; they crawled over food, and crept into 
pots and kettles, and were drowned in hundreds 
when these were filled with water. The flies 
were a constant nuisance. Men were always 
brushing them from their faces, out of the corners 
of their eyes, out of their ears, off their bare arms. 
And how they buzzed when they were disturbed! 
Sometimes when the cooks were busy at their 
work the buzzing of the flies about them was so 
loud that they had to shout to one another when 
only a few yards apart. "One morning," a cook 
has declared, "the humming of myriads of flies 
reminded me of the noise of a cotton mill in a 
Manchester street." 




IN THE TKKNCHES AT GALLU'OLI 

Royal Irish Fusiliers) 



WILD LIFE IN THE TRENCHES 189 

When a soldier lay down to sleep during the 
daytime the flies settled on him in hundreds. 
Each time he moved and disturbed his tormentors 
a loud buzzing broke out. If he covered his face 
with a handkerchief they went crawling over it in 
such great numbers that it became as heavy as a 
bit of blanket, and he had to throw it off. When, 
at length, he fell asleep the flies began to take 
liberties. They ran over his hair, into his ears, 
and across his face. If his jaw dropped they 
crept into his mouth. " It was a common thing," 
a soldier tells, " to see a sleeper who had been on 
duty during the night sitting bolt upright, half 
awakened, and beginning to cough and splutter 
while flies darted out of his mouth. Occasionally 
a few were swallowed, much to the poor chap's 
disgust." 

At meal-times hundreds of flies "mobbed" 
every soldier. If one should spread jam on a 
slice of bread the flies dropped on it at once, and, 
as a victim once wrote home, "made it look like 
a slice of currant cake ". Another has described 
how the men took jam with their bread. " First 
of all," he wrote, " you make a little hole in your 
jam tin, and keep a thumb on it. You eat the 
bread dry, and when you want jam you suck it 
out of the tin, and then press your thumb on the 
hole again. The flies swarm round your thumb 
and over your hand, as if trying to make you let 
go so that they may get a chance of creeping into 
the tin. You ask me if I have been in a battle 



190 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

yet. I am always in the battle of flies. The 
flies are harder fighters than Johnny Turk." 

Besides the flies there were other insects "too 
numerous to mention ", wrote a Welsh soldier. 
"There are hundreds of different kinds of grotesque 
insects, big and small, that crawl about or fly 
through the air. New arrivals get many shocks. 
I have seen men who were more afraid of a swarm 
of insects than a battalion of Turks." He then 
went on to relate an amusing experience he and 
others had. "A fresh regiment was having its 
troubles with the insects one evening when a gale 
began to blow. It sprang up as suddenly as a 
bird from the scrub, and came in fierce and rapid 
gusts that took one's breath away. A great long 
belt of sun-dried thistles stretched across No- 
Man's- Land, and the wind cut through the prickly 
mass like a scythe, shearing off the tops and 
brittle leaves and severing the stalks, which came 
whirling in clouds towards our trenches in the 
evening dusk. A private, who was greatly worried 
about the strange insects and reptiles he saw 
prowling about, was cleaning his rifle when a bit 
of prickly thistle darted past his cheek like a 
living creature. He sprung back, gasping, ' What 
is that?' Then another bit scratched his hand 
as it skimmed down the trench. A yell broke 
from his lips. ' I've been stung!' he declared. 
Hundreds of prickly stalks and leaves then came 
whirling and darting about the men's ears. Those 
who thought they were being attacked by swarms 



WILD LIFE IN THE TRENCHES 191 

of horrible insects of all sizes and shapes began 
to dart into dug-outs; but soon the cries of alarm 
were changed to shouts of laughter, for word was 
passed along that the supposed winged furies 
were simply bits of Gallipoli thistles. As the 
wind increased in fury the thistle plague grew 
gradually worse. Heaps of dry prickly stalks 
and leaves collected in the trenches, and the men 
were kept busy shovelling them out. Some parts 
of the trenches were filled to the top. The wind 
fell before dawn, and when the sun rose you could 
see piles of thistles all along the line of trenches. 
It looked as if these prickly heaps would prove 
troublesome again later on, but in the forenoon 
another gale sprang up and scattered them across 
the Salt Lake marsh. As the men watched them 
they were not surprised that the * green hands ' 
had been alarmed on the previous evening. The 
broken thistles skimmed through the air like 
locusts, and bumped and darted on the ground 
like giant grasshoppers." 

The Gallipoli ants were a source of great 
interest to the fighting men. They continued 
diligently working in and about the trenches as 
if nothing unusual was taking place. " I have 
watched them for hours on end," a Londoner 
wrote to his friends, "and wondered at their in- 
telligence. As I write a little fellow is trying to 
carry a crumb of bread to the nest. He has stuck. 
The load is too heavy. What will he do now? 
He is signalling for help, I declare. Here comes 



192 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

a friend to give him a hand! The new arrival 
has got behind the crumb and is pushing it, while 
the other hauls again. Now they are making 
progress. . . . They have halted suddenly. It 
looks as if they are out of breath. Here comes 
another helper, I declare! He gets behind the 
crumb also and they haul and push all together. 
Up they climb to the door of the ant house. They 
are s^oing; to gret the crumb for themselves, sure 
enough. Well done! They have hauled it inside, 
and are now, I suppose, packing it into the larder. 
What wonderful litde fellows they are!" 



DOGS IN WARFARE 

The dog has long been called "the friend of 
man", and in this great war it has proved itself 
to be a friend indeed. Many stories are told of 
dosrs leavino- home and trackinor their masters to 
the trenches, and of their wonderful courage under 
fire. But it is not as a pet alone that the dog has 
proved itself a "friend", but also as a worker, 
whether doing red-cross work, sentinel duty, or 
hauling sledges with supplies over snow - clad 
hills. 

One of the famous French army dogs is " Mar- 
quis", which did splendid service carrying dis- 
patches. This faithful animal showed great in- 
telligence, and ran and crept through bullet-swept 
zones carrying important messages when no human 
beine could venture to do so. More than once 
Marquis helped whole companies to get out of 
"tight corners" by bringing them warnings in 
time, and it also kept officers in touch with their 
superiors, when heavy bombardments cut tele- 
phone wires, by scampering from point to point 
with messages. One morning Marquis was sent 
out on his last journey with a dispatch in his mouth. 
The Prussians were attacking heavily at the time. 



194 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

Shell-fire burst above and behind the French 
trenches, and it was impossible for a soldier to 
attempt to leave cover. Marquis ran off, going 
briskly so long as it was under cover. Then he 
had to cross an open track of country where the 
bullets pattered down like hailstones. He crept 
low, and made short rushes from bush to bush, 
while anxious eyes followed its movements. For 
a time all went well. Then, when it seemed as 
if the dog would succeed, it was struck by a bullet 
and fell on the ground. An officer, who had been 
watching through his field-glasses, uttered a cry 
of regret, and began to sorrow for poor Marquis. 
For a time the dog lay very still. Then he began 
to come back. Slowly he crept on, suffering pain 
and very weak from loss of blood. At length, 
after a great effort, Marquis returned to his 
master, and, dropping the blood-stained dispatch 
at his feet, fell over and died. 

That evening the French soldiers, with bared 
heads and heavy hearts, buried the faithful dis- 
patch dog, and set up a little monument to mark 
his grave. 

Another famous dog was named Lutz. It won 
its reputation near Verdun. One dark night a 
force of Germans were stealing towards a French 
position all unknown to the sentinels. Lutz, how- 
ever, scented them and began to growl. 

"Hush! lie down!" a sentinel said in a low 
voice, but Lutz only grew more restless and 
excited. The attention of an officer was drawn 



DOGS IN WARFARE 195 

to the dog's behaviour, and a warning was issued. 
The French soldiers were roused from sleep and 
stood ready to deal with any unexpected danger. 
Ere long they became aware of the near presence 
of Germans, and a withering fire broke out from 
the French trenches. The German surprise attack 
failed completely because of the warning given by 
Lutz. A large number of this raiding force were 
killed at point-blank range, and most of the sur- 
vivors were taken prisoners. 

Dogs like Lutz are trained to act as helpers 
of sentries. They do not all growl and bark 
when danger is near, however. Some simply 
"point" like "pointer dogs" used by sportsmen 
on the moors. When these wise animals scent 
the enemy, they thrust their noses forward, stiffen 
out their backs, and signal with their tails, keeping 
perfectly silent. 

One dark night a pointer, named Paul, stood 
beside a sentry. Suddenly the dog began to sniff 
and grow restless. Then he pointed stifidy towards 
a point where he had scented the enemy. An 
officer was informed that the dog was "pointing". 
He shrugged his shoulders and said, "The dog 
can't be trusted." Paul was taken down a trench 
and led to another sentry post. There he sniffed 
again and "pointed" in the same direction as 
formerly. 

"Now, Paul," the officer said, "we shall put 
you to the test." 

He ordered rockets to be sent up. Flares of 



196 FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

vivid light cut through the darkness, and three 
Germans on "listening post" duty were seen 
crouching on the ground less than twenty yards 
distant. Their duty was to spy on the French 
position and find out whether any preparations 
were being made for a night attack. This they 
could do by listening to hear words of command 
and the movements of soldiers getting ready to 
creep out in the darkness. If such preparations 
were being made, it was their duty to creep back 
and give the alarm. 

Having been pointed at by Paul, this particular 
"listening post" party was rounded up by the 
French, the three men being brought in as 
prisoners. The officer patted Paul, and calling 
him "a treasure", said: "I shall see, good dog, 
that you are mentioned in dispatches." 

The dogs that do ambulance work have saved 
many lives by going out in the darkness over 
" No- Man's- Land ", after an attack had taken 
place, finding wounded soldiers, and carrying- 
food and stimulants to them. The intelligent 
way in which these animals behave is very won- 
derful. When a red-cross dog finds a stricken 
soldier, it runs back and leads a party towards 
him. 

On the outbreak of war the French had only 
a few dogs trained for ambulance work, but these 
proved to be so useful that their numbers were 
speedily added to. In less than two years' time 
there were nearly 3000 dogs at work, and it is 



» 




i^nki.il Photograph 

A DOG TEAM IN THE VOSGES MOUNTAINS 
Taking a relief party of soldiers to an outpost. (See page 197.) 



DOGS IN WARFARE 197 

estimated that owing to their help about 10,000 
lives have been saved. 

Among the Vosges mountains large numbers 
of dogs from Labrador and Alaska have been 
used to pull sleighs loaded with food or ammuni- 
tion over trackless wastes, and also to drag small 
trucks on narrow lines of railway. When snow 
lies heavily on the ground, and a crust is formed 
on it by the hard frosts, the dogs can scamper up 
and down the mountain slopes at great speed. 
Long teams are yoked to the sledges, and the 
drivers have exciting enough spins. Sometimes 
it takes them all their time to keep the animals 
under control. Running in packs, they often 
become gready excited, and scamper at such a 
rate that there is always the danger of an acci- 
dent taking place. More than one sledge has 
been overturned during a wild rush down a steep 
snowy slope. The dogs follow a leader, who 
picks out a track by instinct, and occasionally 
swerves this way and that to avoid a danger 
spot, such as a piece of jutting rock, or a deep 
hollow over which the snow lies thinly. But 
the bounding animals never swerve if there 
should happen to be men or mules in front of 
them. 

One day a company of French soldiers were 
crossing a litde valley, when a team of carrier 
dogs swept down the long sloping hill-side and 
ran pell-mell towards them. In another minute 
three or four soldiers found themselves strueorline 



igS FROM ALL THE FRONTS 

in the snow with foaming and excited dogs tum- 
bling over them. The sledge was overturned, and 
the driver thrown a dozen yards into a heavy- 
snow-wreath, from which he came out shouting 
protests, and shaking himself like his dogs to get 
rid of the sheets of snow that clung about his 
shoulders and neck. Fortunately no one was 
seriously hurt. When the sleigh was righted 
again, and the dogs were got in hand, the driver 
set his team scampering merrily down the valley. 

Much more trouble is caused if the dogs should 
happen to run into a group of pack mules. The 
mule is never, as a rule, too good-tempered, and 
if he is tripped up, he bites and kicks so much 
that it is dangerous to g-o near him. 

One evening, just as the sun was setting in 
a blaze of red over the snow-clad hills, a mule, 
which was thrown over by a scampering dog 
team, kicked out so fiercely as it sprawled in 
the snow that it killed three dogs and injured 
another half-dozen. The sleigh was loaded with 
ammunition, but by good luck ran down a sloping 
bank clear of the animal's hoofs. The dogs' 
traces had to be cut, and three of them escaped, 
and scampered away out of sight in a few minutes, 
but they were found next day to have returned 
to the camp from which they had set out. 

As a rule, these sleigh dogs are somewhat wild. 
They are greatly given to fighting among them- 
selves, and if one of them should happen to escape 
from a kennel, they bark and howl at a great 



DOGS IN WARFARE 199 

rate, and cannot be silenced until the comrade 
who has won freedom is caught and taken back 
again. It takes a skilled driver to deal with them 
when they grow fierce and excited. They are, 
however, very obedient to, and even quite gentle 
with, those who feed them readily, and, being 
most intelligent, answer readily to their names. 
But for these dogs, the problem of sending sup- 
plies of food and ammunition through the passes 
of the Vosges during winter would have been a 
very difficult one. Often when the light railways 
were buried in snow and rendered quite useless, 
and teams of pack mules were hardly able to 
make their way through the wreaths, the northern 
dogs scampered along, hauling the sleighs and 
keeping the soldiers well supplied with all they 
required. 



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